Ello, Ello
by Hobbsy3
Summary: When a normal, Australian girl is transported into Middle Earth days after Boromir's death, how much of the plot will she change? And how will everyone react to her especially as she reveals a secret race hudden and enslaved by Sauron since the 1st war?
1. Chapter 1

**Ello, Ello **

**Prolouge**

Missing people usually have run away, or been kidnapped. There is almost always an explanation. With her, there was none. At least, none that anyone could see.

She reached for her alarm clock, pulling her thin blanket round her skinny shoulders. It was five am. She groaned, but heaved herself out of bed. Her mind was on the extended edition of the first Lord of the Rings movie she had seen on DVD last night, nine years after it had come out, and she fumbled clumsily in her cupboard for suitable clothes. Finally she settled on jeans, a long-sleeved top, a musty blue fitted jumper, and canvas pumps. Then she slumped down the maggot eaten stairs into the kitchen. Sighing, she ate breakfast in silence, glaring at the derelict apartment she and her four brothers and alcoholic mother called home. It had not been like that forever, but when her father had left seven years ago at the arrival of her youngest brothers, he had taken the soul of the whole family with him.

The girl knew that in an hour or so, her brothers would wake, and she would be told by the eldest to look after the youngest. So she had decided to leave. Forever. Her mother knew about the camping trip she was supposed to take later that day, but beside the love of her brothers, the girl saw no reason to stay. Her mother didn't care. She knew where she could find a free tent and she would escape. She would contact her brothers in a week, and they would join her. It was the perfect plan. She would have to take Pig, of course, that dog was too noisy to sneak out without. She tip toed into her bedroom and heaved the large back pack out from under her bed and slung it over her shoulders. Then, taking the dog's lead of the wall, she left the house.

Once she and the dog were outside, the stuffy heat hit her first. The girl quickly walked forward and was almost out of earshot of the windowless apartment when the dog stopped and began to whine. It was an odd high pitched keening sound, which would have chilled her bones if she was not so nervous already.

"Pig, move, move Pig move!" she hissed, pulling on the lead. But then the ground was no longer underneath her feet and she fell, down, down, down. No one on earth ever saw her again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two **

Amidst the unspoken panic of her household, Lady Galadriel sat quietly in a woven chair and stared into space. She knew there was plenty of reason for fear. From what she had heard, the fellowship had broken. Although she had advised Frodo to leave, this was not the way in which she intended. Now Boromir of Gondor was dead, Gandalf the Grey had fallen back at Moria, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took were kidnapped by strange new orcs that the Lady had not factored into the equation, and so now, Aragorn son of Arathorn, Legolas son of the elven king of Mirkwood, and Gimli son of Glóin were trying to find the poor young hobbits, Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins had gone on oblivious to these new terms of events.

A startled yelp shocked Galadriel back to her own present; a giant crevice appeared in the ceiling of her home.

The elves watched in shock as a figure the size of a hobbit fell though the crevice and it closed. They all crowded around, but parted as Lady Galadriel moved to see what this was.

A small girl was crouched in a protective stance, shivering violently and staring at the elves with wide eyes. She must have been about three foot six, or the like. She had beautiful features, the beauty of the elves, but no elven child had ever in Galadriel's memory had such fiery red hair; which hung gently in length with the bottom of her ribs. But no child of the red headed North men had such flawless, elven features. This child- yet when Galadriel looked, she saw no child. The girl was still indeed young enough to be called a girl, but too young to be called a child. She was about fifteen years old, a teenager, half mature by human standards. So she must be a hobbit. Or at least, Lady Galadriel believed this until she saw the tiny, elven shaped feet and took in the severe straightness of her hair, until the last four inches where it flowed into loose curls, not ringlets. No hobbit had had ever had hair that straight or long. This all flickered through her mind in a space of three seconds, but still the Lady sighed impatiently.

"Who are you, that falls from the sky into the sacred halls of Lothlórien!" An elf yelled angrily. Disgust had distorted the features of his face, but fear was what manipulated them.

The girl flinched and opened her mouth. The words that followed blew the elves away. They were as musical as Lady Galadriel's, but soprano, a high, clear sound, beautiful, but filled with fear. It had a slight Australian accent, barely noticeable, but there, and unfamiliar to the elves "I am Ello." She said quietly, her eyes flickering from face to face anxiously though never the Lady's, in something close to shock. "It is short for Ellora." She added.

"And what, may I ask, strange creature, are you; with the features of the elves and the size of the hobbits?"

It was Ello's turn to look confused. "Err...I'm human, what else!" she stated. "Now where am I really? Lórien; as if! That place doesn't exist- neither do hobbits or dwarves or…elves…" she trailed off at the incredulous looks on the faces of the surrounding elves. She looked at their flawless features, there pointed ears. Her hands flew up to her own ears, and she felt the pointed ears, saw the size of the elves, saw Galadriel for the first time, and then moaned softly.

"Dreaming, I'm dreaming, this isn't real! It's just a dream; I knew I shouldn't have watched _The Lord of the Rings_ that late at night. Now I've gone and given myself stupid dreams!"

"Ellora, you are not dreaming. You-oh!" five elves rushed forward in alarm as the Lady's mouth formed a small circle. She waved them away. Then she smiled. This was too much for her discrete bodyguard Mokan. "My Lady…" he whimpered.

"Do not distress, Mokan," she turned back to Ello. "Welcome to Middle Earth, Ello. I am honoured to meet the fist leiveia here since Sauron first gave out the rings." The atmosphere seemed to be filled with murmuring, but no one spoke "I am sorry to have to be the one to tell you of the downfall of your kin. They were all wiped away by Sauron, who believed that they were a nuisance, pests; they were very powerful, very magical, but small, and handicapped by it. Sauron led men to believe his poison, and the young elves as they were called, were all but extinct. Elrond of Rivendell and I found what we believed was the last of your kind, a young male, Shinto, hiding. We were able to create a potion, to mean that if any of his descendants (however loosely descended they may be) found there soul mate then no matter what species their mate may be; any children they have together will be filled with the direct blood of the leiveia, and so could carry on the line. It would have meant any descendant of Shinto would have the ability to pass on the gene, but alas! Soon afterwards, Shinto vanished, and an only witness said he had found an invisible stairway, dangling from a tear in the sky. He had climbed it, and the tear vanished. No one believed the witness. Until today. I believe he climbed to wherever you came from. I believe you are his descendant."

"Look- I'm sorry, but that can't be right. I come from _Earth,_ magic does not exist. I want to go home. If this is the Middle Earth as in Lord of the Rings, then how…. "Suddenly her eyes narrowed. "Is this a hidden camera show?" she growled. Galadriel and Mokan exchanged glances.

"What is a camera?" Mokan asked warily.

Unnerved, Ello drew a camera out of the large bag she carried and filmed a short clip. Then she shakily stood, and showed the clip to Galadriel and Mokan. Their eyes widened.

"They show then on bigger screens." Ello explained.

"Tell me more about this home of yours. Start with your age. Then tell me everything of importance about your world."

Ello took a deep breath. "Um...I turned fifteen years old one week ago. My world is fairly similar to yours. Except, magic is legend, men and animals, birds and plants are the only forms of life there, no elves, dwarves, hobbits…Your world is like our Middle Ages I suppose. Now in my world Men and Women are equal. We use electricity for everything, lights, transport… We have a small switch that heats a whole room, hunks of metal that can be driven, means of transport undreamed of here. Men have walked on the face of the moon, and most people have a TV, it's like a box that shows...plays. But; there are bad things to. Money is unevenly spread, and there is always a war somewhere. Many suffer in poverty and death due to the wars that tear countries apart. And they use guns and bombs, not bows and swords. Guns are like bows, but smaller, more compact. They shoot bullets, one can kill you instantly. Bombs can wipe out whole towns. And, our world is dying, trees are being cut down faster than anyone here can imagine, the population of the world is over six billion. The world is heating up. And in about 100 years everyone is probably going to die, if people don't do something, which they show no sign of doing… This is ridiculous!" Ello sighed.

Galadriel stood. "I want to know; a few times you mentioned the Lord of the Rings. What is it?"

"It is a movie, duh! Well, I know exactly what happened from Bilbo Baggins' 111**th** birthday. I even saw glimpses of Saruman's creation of the uruk-hai and…. his…. instructions….." she paused.

"It has been shown to me what I must do with you, though it pains me to have to put this on your shoulders, however you will be more easily missed than an elf, there are more disguises you may take, more situations you can wriggle out of and there are many things you can tell to what remains of the fellowship. You will find Frodo and Samwise, and tell them what you told me. Then you must seek out Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli and tell it to them too. Then you can do what you please." She clapped her hands twice and a small bag appeared in the hands of a younger elf. "Thank you Elva. Here are some supplies, a cloak like that which we gave to the fellowship and some other useful items. Here is a piece of clothing Frodo left behind, and this belonged to Aragorn. Where did they go?"

Without thinking, Ello sniffed the clothes, then the air, and leapt up to run out of the palace and down the road they took. Then she glanced back at Galadriel who was smiling, and holding up Ello's bag, in which she had stowed the elven bag, and covered the whole thing in a water proof seal. Ello jogged back in a fluid trot and took the bag gratefully, but then her face fell.

"But they took the river, didn't they? In boats…" she trailed off in amazement as Lady Galadriel laughed.

"Their scent shall not be lost to you. Now, go before your advice is to late too be heeded!"

Ello nodded nervously and sprinted at the speed of a very fast elf. Lady Galadriel stared after her as she dove gracefully into the river.

"Do you know what you are doing?" Mokan murmured.

"I hope so. I truly do."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The icy water pierced every uncovered inch of Ello's skin, like a thousand knives stabbing her at every chance. She tried to swim but she couldn't breathe. Ello tried to surface, but the weight of the bag weighed her down. She screamed, but her voice cut off in a strangled sound. _She had no air. She was going to drown. To die. _

She took a deep breath and prepared to drown, when she realised that she had just _taken a breath - underwater!_ Then she noticed for the first time a strange tickling sensation around her nose and mouth. She smiled unbelievingly; it was a bubble softly caressing her cheeks, giving her oxygen. She suddenly knew what to do, how to take advantage to her size. She could still smell. She swam swifter and more gracefully than an otter, and Frodo and Aragorn's scent's became fresher with every stroke, though they were muffled slightly by the wooden smell off the boats and oars. _In the water_.

Eventually, Frodo's scent was stronger than ever, but veering away from Aragorn's, instead of following Aragorn's to the west bank, Frodo had made for the east bank. Soon Ello was able to scramble up the bank and continue running, though slower, still the pace of a horse on a week's journey She ran for a day through endless trees, the stopped in the night for a small rest, and a snack. She ate a few bites of _lembas, _elfish wheat bread from Lady Galadriel, and sank down against a big oak tree. She woke with a start only two hours later.

"Aw, damn" She groaned "So it wasn't a dream. What am I doing here?"

However, after only five minutes the trees thinned to reveal bleak mountains, not too tall, but horrifyingly steep and jagged. She followed Frodo's trail, back tracking a few times. She sat down again at nightfall, and had a few more bites of _lembas_ bread. She had barely laid down her head to sleep when she heard a loud clanging noise, and yells, and a strange sound she distinguished as an orc's excited bark. She scrambled over the rocks, not knowing whether or not to be delighted that she was still following Frodo's trail.

Soon she reached a ledge and she peered down. What she saw nearly caused her to fall off of the ledge; five orcs were swarming around, surrounding two hobbits she recognised as Frodo and Sam. Sam was lying on his back, still trying to shield himself from an orc towering above him. Frodo was losing a fight with three at once. Screaming silently, Ello rummaged desperately in the bag Lady Galadriel gave her, and to her relief Ello drew out a short sword, in fact, it was very similar to Frodo's sword, Sting, in layout, though the patterns were very different.

She screamed in horror as the orc brought its sword down in one fluid motion towards Sam's throat.

Frodo looked up in shock at the strange girl, and was lucky that the orcs did too. To his surprise, the orcs attacking Sam stopped and stood up, and one of the orcs attacking Frodo left to join its friend attacking the girl. Out of the corner of his eyes Frodo watched as they advanced, one slinked away, the girl was shivering violently and her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head. Frodo was so exhausted he could hardly hold his sword, but he fought and managed to stab an orc through the gut. It brought relief to his heart, but none to the pain; his muscles ached and there was no way he could go on any longer.

And then it was over.

The orc's head lay on the floor, and as Frodo fell backwards Ello reached out and grabbed his arm, slowing his fall.

"Thank you. Now, who are and what do you want?"

Ello laughed shakily but her hands trembled. Two days ago she would never have even thought about killing another creature. Now she had killed two. _But orcs don't count, you know that! Pull yourself together and answer his question, idiot!_ She told herself.

"My name is Ello, Lady Galadriel sent me to help you." She completely ignored Frodo when he opened his mouth. "She told you to leave; but a few things have happened since you left that you _really_ need to know. For one; the Uruk-hai. They are basically like orcs, but bigger, stronger, they can travel in daylight, they know no fear and they know no pain. And, well, the rest of the fellowship…..Something happened."

Frodo and Sam glanced at each other, and Frodo shook his head slightly.

"You don't care, do you? You couldn't care less what happened to your friends!"

Frodo flinched and Sam sat up with a start, but he copied Frodo and said nothing. Tears pricked at Ello's eyes and she blinked.

Then she started muttering angrily under her breath. "I get shoved into this world with-gah! He doesn't even care what happened to poor Merry and Pippin so I may as well go ba-"

Frodo's hand shot out and grabbed Ello's arm hard as Sam gasped sharply.

"What happened to them?" he demanded. _If they got hurt because they wouldn't leave me…._

Frodo's grip and glare wavered as tears sprang into Ello's eyes before she could turn her head away.

She let her hair become a veil to mask her face from the frozen hobbits.

"I'm probably not the right person to tell you this, and I do not know how…" Ello angrily wiped at the incessant tears, but gave up quickly and took a deep breath. "Bo-Boromir is dead. After you left, Frodo, and he realised what he had done. Something had come over him; it was the ring. He called after you, and felt awful. On the other hand, when Merry and Pippin distracted the Uruk-hai for you Frodo, they were chased to a bridge. They were surrounded, trapped, but Boromir came, and fought the orcs away, he gave them a chance to run, but they lingered, not wanting to abandon Boromir. He- he was struck by three arrows." Ello thumped her hand against her chest three times, demonstrating where the arrows had hit. "The orcs took Merry and Pippin and left Boromir for dead. Aragorn arrived in time to save Boromir the Uruk-hai's arrow through the head, but he died of his wounds minutes after."

"And the younger ones? Merry, Pippin?" Sam whispered.

"They have one bit of luck. Aragorn is leading the others in a hunt after the Orcs, and if they can reach the Uruk-hai before they reach Isenguard. Saruman's orders were to bring the hobbits to him alive and unspoiled, and to kill the others. Until Isenguard, Merry and Pippin will be kept alive and hopefully unhurt…" With no warning Ello burst into tears. She curled up into a ball and sobbed, her whole body shook. Hesitantly, Sam stood and put his hand on her shoulder. Frodo and Sam realised at the same moment how attached they felt to this stranger already.

"I'm sorry." She whimpered. "It's just, I came from another world, I just fell through the path, and I saw the movie, and I watched everything happen, and I thought it was all make believe…. And it's too real to be a dream…" she sniffed and Sam interrupted.

"Another _world_! As in, not _Middle Earth!_ That's impossible!"

"Well Sam, if you asked me five days ago I would have said there was no way _Middle Earth_ could exist, let alone elves and dwarves and hobbits and wizards and orcs and God knows what else! And apparently I am a leiveia, whatever that is, and magic isn't myth. And they say that I am practically living in a movie!"

Frodo frowned. "What is a movie?"

For the second time Ello pulled out her camera and explained about movies.

"You watch them on a bigger screen, and someone put a camera here for some reason, and it transmitted video clips back to earth. I watched everything since Bilbo's 111**th** birthday, believing it to be make-believe. Acting, I suppose they must have found celebrity look-alikes and paid them to keep their mouths shut!"

Sam looked nervously around at the bleak surroundings. The dust coloured mountains were sharp, and looked very hard to climb even for a sure footed hobbit.

"I'm sorry Mr. Frodo, but these mountains give me the creeps. I wonder if that slimy creature Gollum is still about…"

"Sam, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Guessing what his master wanted to talk about, Sam scurried over to Frodo, and Ello stepped back and listened in silence to the hobbits' conversation.

"….We should trust her, I think Mr. Frodo. I have a feeling about her, I do, like the feeling I get when I think of the Shire, or Lórien and Galadriel, a kind of warmth, again I suppose the same as Lady Galadriel."

"That's all very well, Sam, and I do agree with you, but…she wears odd clothes, especially for a girl, but if she is from another world as she claims to be then I can understand that, but still…." Frodo trailed off thoughtfully.

"We should take her with us Mr. Frodo, just for a few days, watch her, and see if we could trust her." Sam replied eagerly; keen to find out more about the strange Ello. But a shadow passed over Frodo's face.

"No, Sam. Not to Mordor. For that is where we are headed, and I would never condemn another to have to travel with me to such a horrible place, unless they practically throw themselves after me like you did."

"But say, just say sir, say she wanted to?"

"To go to Mordor! And why would she want to go there! If she did then she would be up to no good and not worth us taking to anyway. Few other than evil folk and fools go closer to Mordor than Osgiliath! No Sam, whoever she is, I doubt she is willing to go to Mordor with two foolish hobbits!" But the last words reminded them both of their own foolish hobbit, Pippin and they both fell into silence.

The moon was high in the sky when Ello spoke again.

"Are you two hungry?" She said, her hand reaching to a small plastic box at the bottom of her bag.

"We have the _lembas _bread from Lady Galadriel." Ello laughed at the barely concealed boredom at this particular meal on Sam's tired face.

Soon Ello found what she was looking for- a Cadburys dairy milk bar- and split it in three. She threw a third to each Sam and Frodo who caught it in shock. As she closed her eyes and bit into the chocolate and let the aroma fill her mouth, Ello felt a pang for home, the first since she arrived. She missed her brothers; Jam (James) who at eighteen led the family since their mother fell deeper into the endless pits of alcohol and heroin, Gel (short for Nigel), who at sixteen was trying to get over the recent split with his girlfriend, and she missed the little seven year olds twins she looked after, Harvey and Isaac and their identical faces, innocent even when she caught them in the act of mischief. She even missed her mother, or at least; her mother before her father left, not the shadow she had become now.

"Hey, what is this?" Frodo's voice jarred her back to now, and she made her frozen lips reply.

"Chocolate. Almost every person on Earth loves it. Hey, look, I'm eating it too, I haven't poisoned it. Enjoy what you can." She looked deep into Frodo's eyes, and he was lost in the deep, deep blue. "Do not fight the ring head on Frodo. You will tire, it will become heavier, and you will lose. Instead, angle its power another way. Ignore it, and pretend it does not exist. Instead of lingering on each danger in every step of your way, acknowledge them, but concentrate more on the good things you see. When there are none, make them." She nodded at Sam. "You both like poetry, singing. Enjoy yourself, or what you can. I don't know much, but I do know that you only get one chance of life. So grab it, and make the most of what you have. You are lucky. There are so many who love you two, so many who would die for you a million times. Be wary, but happy. It is hard, but I think that the ring will not understand that, and if I am right it would slow the effects." Then she blushed and looked down at the floor. "Sorry. I have no idea what I am talking about, do I?"

"No, it's fine." Nervously, Frodo took a small bit of chocolate, and then gasped. Sam tumbled forward, but a huge smile spread across Frodo's face. "This is the best thing I have tasted in my life! What _is_ it! Sam, try some! It's ten times better than anything from the Shire, oh Sam it's better than pipe-weed!" Sam's reaction was somewhat the same, and due mainly to that one bar of chocolate the hobbits allowed Ello to travel with them for two days, and in that short time, Ello was as precious to the hobbits as they were to each other, and in return she felt the same about them. Ello taught the hobbits about things from her world, and they taught her a little sword work and more about Middle Earth. To Ello's delight, she found that her iPod worked and had full battery. She decided to save it, and only gave the hobbits a headphone each for a couple of songsto show them music from her life.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Two days passed, and they were sat around a small fire they had risked lighting. Sam was cooking something, grumbling about lack of ingredients in this indecent place, and Frodo heard Ello humming quietly to herself.

"What are you humming?" He smiled at her and she blushed scarlet.

"Just a song, from…you know, home."

"I want to hear." Frodo pressed gently, remembering how she had harmonised on top of him in an old hobbits folk song.

Frodo closed his eyes and smiled as she timidly flowed into her song. She was right; it was easier when he tried to enjoy himself. Somehow, maybe it was something she owned, or maybe it was just her presence that seemed to cancel out the power the ring had over him. He scarcely even thought about it anymore.

Then unexpectedly Ello broke off. She cocked her head to the side, and the hobbits listened intently. Uneasily, Ello sniffed the air, and then she narrowed her eyes at something behind Sam.

"_Were not alone._" She hissed, but as soon as Frodo and Sam turned around Gollum was gone.

She beckoned them over and they looked at her.

"Pretend to sleep. We catch whoever it is, not kill, not yet. They could be useful. I don't think that we would lose the fight: whoever it is, they're small, and alone. I guess it's what Gandalf would do."

The hobbits nodded, and they made as much fuss as normal about going to bed, and Ello pretended to nod off on watch. Sure enough, a slinking figure made its way through their camp.

"Nasty hobbitses, tricksy, false! They stole it from us, precious, yes, yes! _Gollum, Gollum._"

Just as Ello sensed Gollum reach Frodo she leapt up over Sam and grabbed Gollum in a headlock. Instantly the hobbits were on their feet yelling, and Ello screeched as Gollum scratched his long sharp nails down her arm, drawing an alarming amount of blood.

Sam smashed his fist into Gollum's stomach, and however hard the pitiful creature struggled Ello's headlock kept him still.

Suddenly Gollum flung his arms in Frodo's direction, catching Ello by surprise. She yelled as he lunged towards Frodo's neck; the ring was hanging of its chain out of Frodo's shirt. Sam stepped between them and Ello pulled her arm tighter around Gollum's neck, but the wretched creature fastened his hands around Sam's neck. Yelling at the top of her voice Ello used her other arm to chop onto Gollum's, but his flailing legs kicked her repeatedly in the shin. Sam was going blue.

"Frodo!" she shrieked.

Frodo ran over and held Sting to Gollum's throat.

"This is Sting, you've seen it before. Now, release him or I'll cut your throat."

Gollum glared at Frodo but released his hold on Sam who scurried away gasping and retching. Ello was breathing heavily, and Sam scrabbled to his pack and drew out the elven rope given to him by Lady Galadriel. He looped it around Gollum's neck, and Ello let go rubbing her arm absentmindedly.

To their surprise Gollum began screaming.

"It hurts! It hurts us, take it off us! It burnses us, please nice hobbitses, take it off us! It burns us precious it burns!"

They looked at each other.

"Didn't he have another name once?" Ello whispered.

"Yes, Sméagol was his name once." Frodo whispered back over Gollum's pathetic sobs, not knowing what the relevance was. Ello knelt next to Gollum and looked into his eyes.

"Sméagol, why cry, Sméagol? You know nice hobbits will take this off you. We'll be nice to you if you be nice to us." She lamented in a strange, hypnotic tone.

Sam looked up in shock, but Frodo got the idea. He crouched next to Ello and Gollum's panicked eyes were released from Ello's only to be locked in Frodo's. When Frodo talked it was in the same hypnotic tone.

"You weren't so different from a hobbit once, were you, Sméagol?"

"What's it they call us precious, what do they call us? _Sméagol?_ Yes, that, that was my name. My name." Sméagol looked up with wondrous eyes. Then his eyes screwed up in pain. "Take it off us! Take it of poor Sméagol!"

"Why should we do that?" Sam demanded. "He'll just throttle us in our sleep Mr. Frodo. What was he sneaking around for anyhow?"

"Nice hobbit! Sméagol thought hobbitses were nasty, nasty things. Thieves, treacherous! But poor Sméagol got wrong idea, no yes! Nice hobbitses! We swears to serve the master of the precious!"

Frodo stood up and stared down at Sméagol's piteous figure: "What are you willing to swear on? Swear on…"

"We swears...we swears on... on the precious!"

"What!"

"We swears and on the precious to serve the master of the precious, never to betray, oh no!"

The hobbits exchanged wary glances, but Ello seemed convinced. She slipped the rope of Sméagol's head and he danced around with joy.

Then she gasped.

"Oh, god, I was supposed to help Aragorn too! He'll be leagues away by now!" she yelled.

Abruptly a rock before her groaned and split, revealing a short tunnel, with green grass showing behind. The sharp black outlines of an elf, a man and a dwarf contrasted with the glorious pink sunset above the hills they were running on. A bird flew towards them, and flitted through the space, squawking as it found itself among the mountains.

Ello yelped like a startled dog and Frodo and Sam froze.

"What-did-you-do?" Said Frodo in an amazingly calm voice. "How did you do that?"

"I did that?" Ello whispered.

"Well, we didn't." Sam grumbled.

She stiffened, and threw her arms around both of them. "Guess I should go. You two be careful, okay, be very careful. I'll come back if I can... And I will do all I can to help Merry and Pippin if it kills me."

Frodo forced a laugh. "You'll have a hard time trying to help Pippin; he's more of a kid than you are!"

Ello smiled weakly through her tears; "Here you are, a couple of chocolate bars, make them last. I will see you again."

"How can you take all this so calmly?" Sam exclaimed.

Ello's face fell, her eyebrows creased together, and fear, fear and tears clouded her eyes, her mouth opened as if she was screaming silently. Then she blinked and her face was exactly how it was before.

"I was an actress." She stated simply. "Be careful"

With that Ello shouldered her pack and walked through the tunnel. It closed behind her and she was gone.

Frodo sighed, the ring was heavy again. He turned to Sméagol and spoke to him.

"You know the way to Mordor? You have been there before?" Sméagol nodded nervously. "You will lead us to the black gate."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Gimli's poor legs ached. They had made no progress on the strange orcs on the whole three days they had been running for, and now Gimli was getting tired. His legs ached, and his back ached, and his heart ached for the poor young hobbits, whom at one stage had been driven like cattle for a short while. Whether there was any hope for the young ones' lives Gimli doubted. But what choice did he have but to keep running? Running, running, running.

"I'm wasted on cross country. Three days we've run no rest! We dwarves are natural sprinters!" Gimli grumbled as he followed Legolas and Aragorn.

Suddenly Aragorn stopped. He pressed his head to the ground. Then he stood up grimly.

"Their pace has quickened." He stated briefly. "Come quickly."

Gimli sighed. Then the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

He turned to see a hobbit size figure hurtle towards him, almost as fast as Legolas' arrows.

"Ah!" he cried. "Legolas!"

Aragorn and Legolas whirled around in panic, and Legolas instinctively shot an arrow at the body. If it had been any slower its chest would have been pierced, but it was so fast the arrow missed by a millimetre. Ello skidded to a halt in front of them with her eyes wide open and her palms face up and empty in front of them.

"Don't attack me, please!" her voice rose in pitch when she saw Aragorn's hand on his sword. I'm trying to help you, not murder you." She sighed, flipping her hair back

"Who are you? What do you-" Aragorn commanded.

"My name is Ellora, but I like to be called Ello. Lady Galadriel sent me to help you. I come from- from another world called Earth, where there is nothing but Men, and Birds of the sky, Beasts of the land and Fish from the sea. No magic. Magic was myth. But I fell through the pavement and landed here. So I may as well make myself useful."

"What help do you have for us? And what are you? And why should we believe a word you say...another world is impossible?" Legolas cried.

"I have information, and according to Lady Galadriel I am a leiveia."

Legolas gasped softly, but Aragorn shook his head. "I don't believe you."

"Let me show you something." Ello mused, and without waiting for a reply, she removed from her bag one of the few electronic devices that she had; a portable DVD player. She slipped in a disc showing the second half of The Fellowship of the Ring and slipped it in.

The trio remained silent as Ello quietly explained what was happening.

"This is called a movie, and I believe you are among the only souls on Middle Earth who have witnessed it. This I saw at my home and that is how I know your names, Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli. Before this, another disc shows every important event from Bilbo Baggins' 111**t h** birthday, until Rivendell, and this is the same for Rivendell to three days ago-"

"That's you Aragorn, Legolas! There's Gandalf, Boromir- the hobbits! There's me!" Gimli blubbered.

Ello nodded and closed the player, turning it off. "It was lucky there are cameras at Isenguard. I saw some of Saruman's order's to the Uruk-hai."

"Uruk-hai? These orcs that travel by daylight, and are bigger, stronger?" Legolas inquired, truly intrigued.

"Yep. It will please you that his orders are to keep the hobbits alive, unspoiled. They are safe, until they reach Isenguard, but I don't think they're having much fun. We should be moving, and don't look at me like that Aragorn. That is, if you will have me along I will follow you. I will not tier easily" Ello kept her cross country results to herself

"If you answer my question." Aragorn pondered as they began running. "Do you know which hobbits have been taken?"

"Just Merry and Pippin; Frodo got away, and Sam went with him." Ello smiled widely. "I was with them until ten/fifteen minutes ago."

"Impossible." Scoffed Gimli, at the same time as Aragorn said "Where are they!"

Ello looked down as her face fell. "My guess is forty leagues or so away. I was wishing I could find away to get here to you and, the rocks split…"

"We will talk about this later, let us go, swiftly." Aragorn remembered the old legends of the leiveian powers

Another night they ran, and soon they were facing open fields.

"The sun raises red." Deliberated Legolas. Then he frowned. "Blood has been spilled this night."

Suddenly, Ello fell, and her eyes glassed over, staring into space. Her companions yelled and shook her, but her body was as solid as the rock beneath their feet. Then her body relaxed and her eyes flickered shut. She groaned at sat up, but when she opened her eyes they were fearful.

"I saw something. It was something that happened in the night." She breathed.

Aragorn's eyes narrowed. "I have heard of the visions of the leiveia. Say more. What did you see? Pippin, Merry?"

She nodded, and spoke slowly as she tried to remember. "There were orcs. Orcs and Uruk-hai, and so many of them. There were horses, and Men, many Men, and shouting. The Uruk-hai and Orcs were losing. I saw Pippin. Merry was at his side. No one saw them. A horse-reared above Pippin. And-"She shuddered. "Then it all went black."

"This is ill news indeed." Gimli mumbled.

"There is still hope." Said Legolas through gritted teeth. "He may have rolled away. We _must _hope. Can you run?" He asked Ello in concern.

"I'm fine." She said dismissively as she scrambled to her feet.

"I agree with Legolas. Look, we enter Rohan." Aragorn said. Ello had been keeping up better than he thought she would. Somehow she had wrapped herself as tightly round their fingers as she had the hobbits' before them. "I used to be friendly with the king there, but these are ill times. We must take care."

They were running over a hill when Legolas cried; "Take cover!" Ello dove behind a large rock and the others followed suit, Gimli last, just in time as thunderous hooves clashed over the hill.

"I'm sorry! I should have been looking above rather than at the mud! Let Aragorn sort the tracks, Legolas you fool!" he muttered.

Legolas and Gimli stiffened and Ello's hand was clamped over her mouth, but Aragorn relaxed a degree.

"Rohirrim." He muttered. Then he turned to his companions. "They should be peaceable, but they know not of your kind Ello, nor would it be wise to enlighten them in case of the spreading of old tales where the leiveian people are enemies of men. Chance is they heard the stories as I did, but now…Legolas." With that he strode behind they last rider onto the hill and called out to the riders that passed. "Riders of Rohan! What news from the West?" The riders wheeled around and charged at Aragorn

Legolas and Gimli led Ello to Aragorn's side and Legolas spoke to her out of the corner of his mouth, so she could only just hear him. "Pretend to be an elf child, you say you can act? Act as a small child, yes; Men of this time know little of the elves as it is. They will not pick on details, if indeed Aragorn is friend to them."

Ello opened her eyes wide and pressed her suddenly shaking body against Legolas' leg, pretending to grip his arm hard. He almost grinned "Perfect." She flashed a weak smile back up at him, and then focused on looking small and vulnerable.

Within seconds the foursome found themselves surrounded, with two dozen spears pointed at their heads. The tallest rider rode forward; he was a sturdy looking man, with the same long golden hair all the riders shared, of decent looks, and his helmet had a white horse tail flowing from it.

"Who are you, and what business do you have in Rohan!" he cried.

"I am called Strider." Said Aragorn. "But my real name is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and I have come from the North."

The man leapt of his horse and handed his spear to another who dismounted with him. Then he held his spear close to Aragorn's chest, though Aragorn did not flinch. Ello whimpered convincingly, though whether it was acting or not, Legolas was unsure.

"We have travelled on foot for four days from Tol Branidir, as you see us."

"But that is forty and five leagues away from here!" The man cried. "Strider indeed! If what you say is true, then Wingfoot would be a more suitable name for you, son of Arathorn. Even the little one, from _Tol Branidir_?" he cried incredulously.

"She only ran part the way." Aragorn said no more on the matter, and the man did not ponder on what he saw as the least threatening of the four.

"And your other companions, who are they?" The man persisted.

Before Aragorn could open his mouth Gimli had put his in action. "Give me your name, horse-master, and I shall give you mine."

The man scowled. "I would cut off your head master dwarf, if it stood but higher from the ground."

Immediately Legolas drew his bow and aimed an arrow at the man's head, ignoring Ello's restraining hand. "You would die before your blade fell." He said, as the man lifted his sword.

"Stop! Your pardon, Rider, but if you will listen, you will understand why you have angered them. Legolas, lower your bow." Aragorn cried. Glowering, Legolas did as he was bidden, and instead he put his arm around Ello, knowing that is what he would do to a child of any good creature at that time.

"These are Gimli, son of the Dwarf Glóin, and the elves Legolas and Ellora of the woodland realm." Aragorn explained.

"Then I am Éomer son of Éomund, and I am a lord of Rohan. I serve under King Théoden. However, you have not answered my question. What are you doing in these lands?"

This time Ello spoke for the first time. "We are tracking a band of Uruk-hai east across these lands. They hold two of our friends as captives." Her voice was barely more than a whisper, and as Éomer properly regarded her for the first time he stared at her big blue eyes brimmed with tears, and he felt a strange impulse to help this child, be she child of Man, Elf or even Dwarf.

"We slaughtered to uruk-hai in the night." Éomer claimed with slight confusion.

"Hobbits, did you see two hobbits with them?" Gimli cried desperately.

"They would small, only children to your eyes!" Aragorn threw in.

Éomer shook his head regretfully. "I do not believe so, but we left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them." He indicated to pillar of smoke in the East.

"Dead?" Gimli choked, as Ello's fingers dug deep into Legolas' arm. He gently straightened out her fingers and squeezed her hand tightly, trying to reassure himself, as well as her.

Aragorn remained frozen, but Legolas soon found his tongue. "Your men would slay innocents? Elves would never slaughter children, and even if you stayed long enough to see they were not children, you would soon learn they are young and innocent nevertheless!"

"Calm yourself, Master Elf. I am certain none of my men would purposely slaughter the young or innocent as you say, but it was dark, and still so when the corpses were burned. I am sorry. Hope is lost in such times as these."

He clapped his hands and three empty horses were brought forward. "May you bide better fortune than their former masters."

"Dwarves don't ride the horses of Men." Gimli grumbled, still offended by Éomer's comments.

"Come, my friend, would you rather run by their sides? You may ride with me, and as the horses are too big for her, Ello may ride with Aragorn, if that is well with him." Legolas cried and Aragorn nodded and mounted the first horse, pulling Ello up behind him. She buried her face into his back in an attempt to hide her tears, now trailing slowly down her cheeks.

"Look for your friends. Chance is they escaped. But do not dare to hope." Éomer murmured.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

After thanking Éomer they rode to the East, but all they found was a smouldering pile of dead uruk-hai carcasses. They all dismounted, and Ello fell to the ground, she lay very still and took a deep breath. She was used now to the new smells, and the types of smell a man, elf, dwarf, hobbit and even orcs and uruk-hai made. Slowly a tear traced its way down her cheek.

Gimli poked his axe threw the remains, and drew out a buckle. "One of their belts." He muttered sadly and Aragorn yelled and threw a helmet into the distance. Legolas stared at him in shock; he had never seen him like that. He stared at the ground.

Aragorn began to crawl on hand and knee, Ello stood and brushed off her jeans, and went to stand behind him. "What is it?" she sniffed in voice sounding like the inside of a cave, empty, hopeless.

"A hobbit lay here. And the other." He moved forward. "Their hands were tied." He stood and crouched, following what to the others were only lines and trenches, not deep enough to be clearly seen, meaningless. He picked up a sawn piece of rope. "Their bonds were cut. They fled the battle, and ran into the forest. And they were followed."

"Fangorn." Gimli shuddered. "What madness drove them in there?"

"Horses are like elephants from this height," murmured Ello, her eyes again shining with hope. "They must have been terrified, by that visible and not, if it was as dark as my vision was."

Pippin was tired, so very, very tired. He and Merry had run all night, deep into the forest. The deranged orc was possibly still behind them, and they were hopelessly lost, far from the Shire, and Frodo and Sam. What were they up to? Had they got away, and if they had, was Sam with Frodo or Aragorn?

"Merry," he whispered, desperate to ease some part of his fear. "Have we lost him?"

"I don't know, Pip." Merry replied in a horse voice- they had not eaten or drank for three days. For Pippin it had been a living hell, captured by orcs, far from Strider and Frodo, starved. "I think we have more likely lost ourselves."

"What are those strange noises, Merry?"

"The trees."

"What!"

"Remember, Pip, back in the Shire, those tales about Fangorn forest, that something in the water that makes the trees grow so tall, and enables them to talk

"Oi! You! Come back here; let me rip your guts out!" A voice came from behind them, the orc, less than thirty feet away, and brandishing a wickedly sharp knife.

"Run Pippin run!" yelled Merry, covering Pippin's back as they raced through the trees.

Hand on, thought Merry. Trees! Orcs can't climb! We can.

"Pip!" He hissed. "Climb a tree."

Pippin scrambled up the nearest tree without question. He had learned that if someone told you to do something then it was best to do what you told, because if you didn't it would probably get you hurt, or worse.

Merry scrambled up behind him. "I think we've; ahhh!"

"Merry!" Pippin yelled as his best friend fell out of view. Merry shuffled backwards in an awkward sitting position as the orc advanced. "Help!" Pippin cried. "Help, help! Merry!" Pippin turned back to the tree; _and it blinked_.

"Ahhhh!" Pippin let go of the tree and fell with flailing hands, but the tree moved one hand-like branch and caught him.

"Hmm, little orc, what are you doing?" he asked Pippin in a slow, calm voice.

Meanwhile Merry was still shuffling away from the orc, who was the only one oblivious to the moving tree.

"He, he, he! Just gonna take a small bite-ahhh!" the orc was squashed by the large foot of the tree. Pippin came to his senses, "Run, Merry, run!" he cried.

Merry was unwilling to leave Pippin, but what could he do against a tree? He was only a hobbit! He scuttled to his feet, but before he could stagger away the tree had grabbed him, too. The tree began to squeeze and Pippin gave a choked cry of pain and fear.

"Well, little orcs-"

"We're not orcs! We're hobbits!" Merry cried.

"Hobbits? Never heard of them." The tree's voice was little more than a sigh.

"Really? Hobbits, Halflings perhaps, maybe you have heard of Halflings?" Pippin asked through a clenched jaw.

"Hmm, no. Sounds like orc mischief to me."

"We're not orcs!" Merry cried together. Then Pippin added timidly, "Merry, don't encourage it. It's a tree!"

"Tree! I am no tree! I am an Ent, the oldest thing on Middle Earth. Some call me Fangorn, but most call me Treebeard. What may I call you, little orcs?"

"We-re not-" Merry began hotly, but then thought better of it. "I am Merry, Merry Brandybuck, and he is Pippin Took! And we. Are. Not. ORCS!"

"Well, the White Wizard will know."

"The, White Wizard?" Pippin asked squeakily.

"Saruman." Merry whispered darkly.

Treebeard dropped them at the feet of a tall shining figure cloaked in white. With fear devouring his heart, Pippin looked up at the figures face, and when the wizard opened his mouth, all went black.

Frodo and Sam were tired. Sméagol just ran on and on, but they were getting nowhere. Sam could hear Ello's voice in his head; _you'll go nowhere if you don't try. Although sometimes you go nowhere even if you do. _

Well, that's true, thought Sam. We've been at this for days now, and we're still stuck in this infernal maze of rocks.

"Oi, Stinker," He caught Frodo's eye and sighed. "Fine _Sméagol_, then how much further have we got to go in here?"

"Not long hobbitses, come, come. Follow good Sméagol. Yes, Sméagol always helps always helps."

"Yes, good Sméagol." Frodo encouraged. "Why do you always do that?" He asked Sam. "Run him down all the time."

"Because, that's what he is Mr. Frodo. There's no turning back for him."

"What do you know about it?" Frodo snapped. "Nothing, NOTHING!"

Sam walked forward angrily and Frodo blinked rapidly. "I'm sorry, Sam. I don't know why I said that."

"I do." Sam said. "It's that ring. I've seen you. You can't keep your eyes off it."

"I have to help him, Sam." Frodo pleaded sadly.

"Why?"

"Because I have to believe he can come back." Frodo murmured. "You're right; the ring is taking me Sam, and I have to believe that _I _can come back."

"What happens when you die?" Ello asked Gimli. Legolas listened intently, and even Aragorn paused from looking at tracks.

"How do I know? I'm not dead!" Gimli said indignantly. Ello laughed.

"That's not what I meant. Don't you have any ideas here, about what happens when you die?"

"You sleep. That's about it." Gimli huffed. "It is not all it's cracked up to be."

"You, Aragorn, Legolas?" Legolas shook his head, but Aragorn replied, "There are stories among men that the spirit goes to the sacred hall of the great kings, if the soul is strong." He shrugged.

"Oh." Ello was silent for while.

"What do you believe?" Legolas asked her.

"Me?" She sighed and looked at the sky. "I think there is a heaven for the souls who do well in life, for the sake of the others, and those who are sorry when they do wrong. For good people. But a hell for those who do evil. They will burn, and suffer torment for all eternity."

They travelled for another day, but it began to get too hot for them, and stuffy under the trees. The woods became hostile, and thorns seemed to spring out of nowhere, especially when Gimli had his hands clasped around his axe. Once a very sharp thorn dug deep into Ello's leg, and she tugged away, ripping her jeans in two, with five and a half whole inches of leg showing above the knee, a very disrespectful thing on Middle Earth. To make matters worse, she had left most of her clothes on the bank of the great river to lighten her pack, and the exact same thing happened seconds later to her other leg.

She glanced at Aragorn who just said; "Do you have anything longer than that top?" He asked. "A nightgown, even?" She nodded. It was the lightest thing in her bag. She took her bag off her back and slid of the back of the horse.

"I'll catch up." She said and the others dutifully turned and commanded the horses to walk slowly on, careful not to leave earshot. She quickly slipped of her dirty top, and pulled out a thin nightgown. But to her dismay she saw that unlike the clothes she was wearing; it hadn't shrunk. So she pulled out another, a short-sleeved dress top. She found it was level with her ankles, so that it looked like an (almost) adequate dress. She put the nightgown back in the bag, and pulled out a rope-belt and tied it around her waist. Then she shouldered her pack and leapt through the trees. She reached her companions. She jumped onto the horse in front of Aragorn and brushed herself down trying to make herself respectable, or as respectable as a child from Middle Earth should.

"Not bad." Aragorn grinned, ruffling her hair. "Now, let's see what mischief Pippin is causing, shall we?"

The horses leapt quicker threw the trees, but the thorns grew tall, tall enough to snare Legolas and Aragorn's arms, which of course was a nightmare for Ello and Gimli, whose faces looked as if they had been dragged headfirst through barbed wire.

"Curse this forest!" Gimli shouted. "The gnarled trees and confounded thorns!"

A low groan sounded, and Aragorn scolded Gimli. "They have feelings, my friend."

"The Elves began it." Legolas murmured in a dreamlike voice. "Waking up the trees, teaching them to talk."

"But we'll never find those poor hobbits in this awful-y nice forest." Gimli complained.

"We may yet, Gimli. Patience." Legolas sighed. A few hours later even Aragorn was losing hope. The moon was high in the sky, and having not slept for days, Ello was dozing peacefully against the horse's neck.

"Aragorn!" Legolas hissed, and the horses reared, throwing all but Ello, who had woken and clamped her hands around the horse's neck tightly.

"What," Aragorn asked watching Ello who blinked and looked ahead with a look that screamed fear. "What do you see, Legolas, Ello?"

"The White Wizard." Legolas said.

"Do not let him speak! He will put a spell on us. Attack!" Aragorn cried.

The Wizard was soon in everyone's view though his face was shining and unrecognisable, and he brushed away arrow after arrow from Legolas' bow, Gimli's axe fell out of his hands as did Aragorn's sword.

"Well met, my friends, well met I say. You track two hobbits, don't you?" said Saruman's voice.

"What have you done to them?" Gimli cried.

"Merry and Pippin met someone they did not expect, does that comfort you?"

"Who are you? Show yourself, are you Saruman!" Aragorn cried.

"Yes, you may say I am Saruman. Or rather, Saruman as he should have been." And then his voice changed, and merged into a very familiar voice. "And again, Legolas, well met I say!" and his face shimmered into view. A face so familiar and unexpected that Ello fainted and fell of the horse onto the suddenly soft bracken beneath her.

It was Gandalf.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Treebeard trudged through Fangorn forest with Merry and Pippin on his shoulders. He was telling the hobbits of the Ents, but whenever Merry or Pippin asked a question he would answer: "Don't let us be hasty" carry on.

"How much further is it, where we are going?" Merry yawned, who was getting bored of the monologue.

"Not far now, young master hobbits. Hmm, the forest grows restless. There are too few of us Ents left now."

"Why are there so few of you when you live for so long?" Pippin asked. "Aren't there any Ent children?"

"No, there have been no Entlings for terrible long years. You see, we lost the Entwives." Treebeard droned softly in his slow careful voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry. How did they die?" Pippin asked.

"Dead, no they're not dead. We lost them, and now we cannot find them. Say, you haven't seen any Entwives in the Shire, have you?" He asked hopefully.

"Can't say I have, you, Pip?" Merry said slowly.

Pippin thought for a moment. "What do they look like?"

"Gandalf! Impossible!" Gimli gasped for the second time that day.

"Gandalf. Yes, that was my name, Gandalf the Grey. I am Gandalf the White."

Legolas knelt on one knee. "I am sorry, Gandalf. I mistook you for Saruman."

"There is nothing to forgive."

"Tell us how it is possible for you to stand here, alive, before us, my old friend." Said Aragorn.

"I have passed through fire and water since we parted. I have forgotten much I thought I knew, and learned much I have forgotten. But it is not of urgent importance. Tell me of yourselves and of the girl that collapsed at the sight of my face."

Gimli wheeled around. "Oh, no!" he cried.

"She is Ello, and that is all we know of her name. She fell to Middle Earth from another world, Gandalf, she has only been here for a week. And she is a leiveia. Maybe the last of her kind. She has seen Frodo and Sam, and has told us that they are together and strong. And she has told us some of Saruman's instructions, although she should explain that herself."

"If she ever wakes up that is!" grumbled Gimli. "What's wrong with her?"

Legolas swooped down and lifted Ello into his arms, and she groaned and stirred.

Gandalf looked at her closely. "She will be fine, I believe. How much sleep has she had while she has been with you?"

"Not two hours, the day and a half she has been with us. I do not believe she had much before, either."

"Exhaustion and shock do not make a happy pair." Gandalf murmured. "And it pains me to have to wake her." He gently shook Ello's shoulders and her eyelids fluttered. Slowly she opened her eyes, and stared at Gandalf, who watched as her eyes grew larger and larger. Then they narrowed as if confused as they stared into Gandalf's eyes.

"How? She breathed, but Gandalf shook his head; his eyes were narrowed as he studied her face.

"Now is not the time for my story. Now tell me; how old are you, what is your surname, how do you know Saruman's instructions and where do you come from?"

"I turned fifteen years old one and a half weeks ago, two days before I fell.…" Legolas and Gimli exchanged glances; one so young could never have done what she did. "My surname is, is… Evans. I do not use it, as my father left my house on my eighth birthday, with no explanation, and no one saw him again. My house went to pieces, and I was forced to look after my baby brothers, while my mother wasted away." More looks, this time of horror, passed between her superiors. "I come from Earth, which is six hundred years ahead of Middle Earth, though magic is Myth, and Men and Beasts are all that roam our dying world. There we have cameras that record plays for people to watch, and I guess a load of cameras came here. I saw Saruman instructing the Uruk-hai." She sighed, and hung her head; she had exhausted herself by getting angry at her parents, and saying so much.

"How much sleep have you had in the week since you got here?" Gandalf instructed.

"About eleven. The amount I used to get in a, a night-" with that she passed out again.

"Exhaustion. Yes, I do believe that is her problem."

"When can we see those dear young hobbits?" Legolas cried, unable to bear it any longer. "You sound as if you know where they are!"

""Merry and Pippin are quite safe, with Treebeard and the Ents-"

"The Ents!" Aragorn broke in. "The legends of tree shepherds are true, then? I believed that they were a legend of Rohan!"

"A legend of Rohan! Every Elf in Mirkwood has sung songs of their long sorrows, but even among us they are a memory. To meet one walking in this wood should make me feel young again." Legolas cried.

"But what of the hobbits!" cried Gimli, uninterested in whatever these 'Ents' were.

"Indeed Gimli. As I was saying they are much safer than we are about to be. Alas, for you shall not see them now, for it goes ill at Rohan, and we are very much needed there, although the people of Rohan do not know it. For Saruman's grip over King Théoden grows strong."

"Then our journey was in vain, and we shall never see those dear hobbits again!" moaned Gimli. "My poor feet ran all that way for nothing!"

"Have heart, my friend, for we may yet see them again. Am I right, Gandalf?" Legolas declared.

"Oh, you most probably will see them again." Gandalf chuckled. Then his voice took a more urgent tone. "Now, let's be off. Aragorn, can you ride with the girl on the front of your horse?"

Aragorn nodded. "Without a doubt, I can. We will have to explain it to her when she wakes. She has intelligence beyond that of anything I have seen on Middle Earth, but not the knowledge. It is hard to explain; she knows little, but learns fast, and understands things at the speed of light. She is an extraordinary creature, Gandalf. She is female, yes, but she ran better than Gimli did, and she has not complained once. It is easy, sometimes, to forget the natural weakness in Women and children, when you look at her. She is, well… But there is something odd about her. After an hour of being around her, I felt prepared to die for her, and I do not know why."

"I understand you, for I, too felt the exact same thing. You do not think she is bewitching us, do you Gandalf? It is hard to think ill of her, but…" Legolas trailed off, ashamed.

"Yes. I understand. But you have no reason to fear. Before Saruman went putrid, he expressed and unparallel interest in the leiveia, (I now have a shrewd guess why) and I learned from him that the strongest of their kind have a talent; when they find someone they trust, like, and have good intentions towards, and two-way bond is created, a bond that would usually take years, and that, is what you and I, yes, I too, are experiencing now. They also have an instinctive idea of who to trust, although it will be unlikely for Ello to act on that, she will be very confused and unlikely to trust her instincts, especially when we believe that it is safe."

"You feel it to?" Gimli gasped.

Gandalf chuckled. "Yes, Gimli, I agree she _is_ an odd creature and a powerful one too."

Gandalf whistled loudly, and a startling white horse galloped into view.

"His name is Shadowfax. He is Lord of all horses, and has been my friend for many, many years." Gandalf smiled, as they mounted. For a while they rode in silence. A few hours later Ello awoke to the powerful thud of hooves, and the rocking motion of the horses gallop. She was told where they were going, and she silenced immediately. Aragorn could not understand why, but there were a lot of things that he did not understand about her, so he did not ask. She probably was still tired, but soon she voiced her true fear.

"Rohan is a land of Men, right?" she began apprehensively.

"Yes, what is the matter with that?" Aragorn asked. "I am friendly with the King there, and he is perfectly fine."

"I thought you said that Men were told that my ancestors were enemies to yours, and that there were legends… what will happen to me?" Ello whispered. Gandalf and Aragorn looked at each other darkly.

"It will be very unlucky if they have heard the tales of old," Gandalf began. "But if they have, we should be able to convince them of your innocence. Sauron began the rumours that spread like wildfire to create the downfall of your kin. I suggest that you take the guise of an Elven child, until we are sure of Saruman's removal, and Théoden's allegiance."

"What if they do not believe you?" Ello's voice began to shake, and Aragorn gave her arm a light squeeze.

"We will not let them. You are fifteen and young enough to be called a child. Even remaining convinced of leiveian guilt, it would be impossible to say that your ancestors of three thousand years ago have spilt blood on your hands." Said Aragorn firmly.

"Their prince is dying." Ello murmured softly, and they looked at her in shock. She gazed back sadly "I saw it when I slept. He was badly wounded. In about half a day he will die. I could see it."

Silently, the speed of the horses increased.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

The party arrived at Edoras, the home of King Théoden a less than three hours later. Every peasant stared at them as they rode proudly through the city, with the exception of Ello, who seemed to shrink further against Aragorn's chest at every glance. In almost no time, they reached the house of the King. There they dismounted, and a tall, official looking man stepped forward.

"We wish to see the king." Aragorn said, staring at the man.

"No one shall see the king armed thus," the man said, almost apologetically. "By the orders of Gríma Wormtongue."

Gandalf nodded slightly, and the four lay down their weapons.

"And, your staff, sir." The man grimaced. Ello looked up at Gandalf, and even acting, her fear seeped onto her face. Sensing her discomfort, Gimli gently placed his hand on her shoulder, just as Gandalf said; "Oh, you wouldn't rob an old man of his walking stick, would you?"

The man sighed, and led them through. Once inside, something akin to déjà-vu hit Ello, and she looked around in fear, shrinking close to Gimli, who was nearest to her. Her eyes flickered around the throne room, taking in every detail. Her breathing became fast and uneven. Her instincts were screaming at her to run, but both her mind and her heart told her to trust Aragorn and Gandalf. Her heart won. Guards paraded in troops, watching, always with two eyes, and Ello felt like a prisoner. She averted her eyes to the withered old man, in the throne at the end of the hall, with a crown perched on top of his fragile skull. Unlike the others in his hall, the King's hair was a snowy white, and dirty. His skin seemed to be made of powder in odd shades of blue and green, making his face look dead. He glared at them, and his eyes were beady and evil. But the king was not Ello's main cause for fear, it was the man crouched in his shadow, whispering in the Kings ear. She could tell that he was a sorcerer, and he reminded her a little bit of a smaller, weaker version of Severus Snape from_ Harry Potter_, with his greasy black hair. But his face was more open, with wide eyes, and rotting skin, or that is what it seemed.

"The courtesy of your hall has lessened of late, Théoden King." Gandalf boomed. The black haired man whispered hastily in the King's ear.

"Why," the king croaked "Should I welcome you, Gandalf Stromcrow?"

"A just question, my liege." The man hissed, nodding excessively. "You seem to think that you have brought us great aid, Gandalf, but we are in need of soldiers, and what do you bring? Three ragged travellers and a child!"

"Speak only of what you know, Gríma Wormtongue." Gandalf demanded. "And keep that forked tongue of yours behind your teeth."

Then the doors burst open as if caught in a sudden gust of wind, and Gandalf's Gray travelling clothes flew off to reveal blinding white robes and he flung out his arms, his white staff glowing slightly in his white hand.

"The staff!" Gríma wailed in a whiny voice. "I told you to take the wizards staff!"

Immediately the guards stepped forward, and automatically, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli went into self-defence mode.

Gríma slithered towards Gandalf, and Ello leapt onto his back, covering his eyes with her hands. He yelled in frustration, for her legs pinned his arms and he was blind. Then Gríma smashed his back against the large pillar behind him. Only Gimli was close enough to hear the soft but sickening crush as Ello's head smashed against the cold stone. She winced as tears sprung to her eyes and she slid dismally of his back. But Gimli knocked Gríma over, and placed his foot heavily against the sorcerer's neck.

"I wouldn't go anywhere if I were you." He advised, and then he turned to look at Ello, who flashed him a quick attempt at a smile. But it did not reach her eyes, as it had only once in Gimli's memory.

"Théoden, I release you from the spell." Gandalf said in a deep voice

The old man only laughed an evil sound, and a young maiden, fair with a small but distinct similarity to Éomer, ran into the room.

"Uncle!" She gasped and rushed forward, but Aragorn (who had stopped fighting and was standing next to Legolas next to Gandalf) grabbed her arm. "Wait." He murmured.

Gandalf grunted, and thrust his staff toward the King, who was shoved by an invisible force to the back of his throne. Rubbing her neck, Ello staggered over to Legolas' side and leaned slightly on him.

"If I go," Saruman hissed from Théoden's body. "Théoden dies!"

Gandalf had other ideas. "You did not kill me, you will not kill him!" he cried.

The man began to shudder, and then, it was over. Slowly, so slowly you could scarcely notice it happening, the King began to change. The powdery look on his face seemed to disintegrate, and the colour, a rich gold seeped back into his hair. His face was an odd mix, thought Ello; strong but old, kind but stern, gentle but ferocious. He blinked and stared around the hall, as if he could not recall where he was.

"Breathe the free air again, Théoden King." Gandalf murmured.

The maiden Aragorn was holding back ran forward, and knelt at the king's feet.

"I know your face," he breathed, "Éowyn."

She smiled through the tears welling in her eyes. He king flexed his fingers.

"Perhaps your fingers would feel their strength better if they grasped your sword, Théoden King of Rohan. " Gandalf smiled and a young solider handed long sword to the King. He stood up, and most gazed in awe at the change in the king. But Ello was more afraid than ever, and she scampered backwards.

Then the King noticed Gríma.

In a flash, they were outside, with the king's sword at Gríma's chest.

"I have only ever served you, my Lord" Gríma whined.

"Yet your magic would have me on all fours like a beast!" Théoden yelled

"Do not send me from your side!" he cried.

Théoden wielded his sword and brought it down towards Gríma's chest but Aragorn grabbed the King's arm. "No, no my Lord! Too much blood has already been spilled on his account. Let him go."

The king nodded bitterly, and Aragorn offered Gríma aid in getting up. Gríma spat on Aragorn's hand and ran away. He took a horse, and pushed through the small crowd that had gathered.

"Hail, Théoden, King of Rohan!" cried Aragorn.

Cheers emitted from the crowd, but the king's face suddenly fell. "Where is Théodred? Where is my son?"

**Author's note: I know I have been mainly concentrating on Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf and Ello, but there will be some more Frodo and Sam in the next chapter! Please review! ~ Hobbsy3**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Sam felt sick. They had travelled for days and had finally reached the end of the maze like cliffs. Now they could see marshes, marshes for further than Sam could see it was hopeless. Nothing they could do could ever get them through the endless bogs that stank with the putrid stench of the rotting dead. It was hopeless.

"Sméagol, what is this?" Frodo asked apprehensively.

"A path, a path Sméagol finds. Orcses don't use it, orcses don't know it. Follow Sméagol closely, hobbits." More and more days passed, and Sam could see Frodo's wellbeing decrease each hour. It pained Sam to see his master so sad, and so he took to staring into the water, until, he saw_ it_.

"There are dead bodies in here!" he squeaked, only half surprised that his voice was an octave higher than usual.

"Yes, there was a great battle, many, many years ago. Elves and Men and orcses. All dead. Don't follow the lights, or hobbitses will go down join the dead, and light little candles of their own."

All of a sudden Treebeard stopped walking.

"Here we are." He droned. The he paused, and looked suspiciously at the hobbits, who always questioned every previous statement. But they were fast asleep.

"Oh." He said. Then he gently placed them in a grove on the soft grass. "Sleep little Halflings. I will be back at dawn. There is business, yes; very urgent business to attend to in the forest." And with that he left them sleeping on the forest floor

Alone.

Ello knelt by Théodred's bedside and Éowyn showed here the deep, infected wound on his side. Her visions had been right; he only had minutes to live, and that was clear to everyone. Ello swallowed deeply, but the king's desperate eyes bored into her.

"Can you help him?" he whispered.

"I don't know. Maybe, if we're lucky." She pulled out her first aid kit and started to wipe anti-bacterial wipes around the wound. Grimacing, she quietly asked for a bowl of warm water. For an hour she worked over the young man's body, and when Théoden came in, she gave him a wry smile.

The dying prince, Théodred, looked up and smiled at his father weakly.

Théoden wept, and grasped at his son's hand, completely unashamed. "How is this possible?" he asked Ello.

"he is still in a bad way, my Lord, but the medicine has given him a chance. He needs some stew or something to keep up his strength. I've done my best."

Aragorn was walking outside along the gates of Edoras, when he saw the horse. It was riding towards Edoras, and the King could distinguish two small figures on its back. They were children; a small girl, and a boy possibly in his early teens. The boy looked exhausted, and the girl desperate.

He watched helplessly as the boy's eyes closed and he fell to the ground.

Frodo followed Sméagol through the marshes, and could not help but stare occasionally at the faces under the water, preserved perfectly by the natural chemicals in the bog. Hours and hours they walked, and Frodo desperately hoped that on the way back (if there _was _a way back) that they would not have to return (if they _did_ return) through the bogs. Frodo's heart was full of despair, and Sam was helping, he realised. He would not have got half as far without Sam, but he still felt like the ring was taking him. Then he stopped, and stared into the water. The dead face below the surface looked mesmerizing, and then it opened its eyes.

Sam yelled in shock as Frodo toppled face first into the water. "Mr. Frodo!" he yelled, and even from the distance he was away, he could see Frodo thrashing around under the water.

Frodo was terrified; green ghost were surrounding him, he couldn't breathe he was going to drown! Strong skinny arms wrapped around his chest and hauled him out of the water. Frodo wretched and gasped as Sméagol scrambled off him.

"Sméagol?" he gasped.

Sméagol scowled at him. "Don't follow the lights!" he spat, and Sam shook his head disgustedly.

Merry groaned and woke. Where am I? He asked silently. "Pip?" he called quietly. "Pip?"

"Oh, Merry, you're up!" cried Pippin, who was sitting on a tree root drinking from a bowl of water. He stood up as Merry approached, and Merry gasped. "Pippin! You're taller!"

Pippin looked confused. "Taller than what?" Pippin asked.

"Than me!"

"Merry, I've always been taller than you." Pippin lied earnestly.

Merry put his hands on his hips. "Pippin,_ everyone_ knows that _I _am the tall one; you're the short one." Then Merry's eyes spied the freshwater stream behind Pippin. "Pippin, you drank it! I want some!"

"No Merry!" Pippin cried, but Merry had drunk a whole glass. Pippin chased Merry around the tree, sloshing water everywhere, and then the roots moved.

"Ah! Merry, it's got my feet!" Pippin yelled, terrified.

"Mine too!"

But however hard they struggled, Merry and Pippin were pulled deep down, into the earth itself.

Ello woke with a start, her nightmare still chasing her, the motion of falling still carrying her with it. She jerked upright, and was surprised to see Éowyn, the maiden niece of the King, standing beside her bed.

"I was told to come and wake you, and bring you to the throne room. It is alright!" she hastily added as Ello's eyes widened. "You are in no trouble, but you look like I told you that it was your execution. Do you have any other clothes? I am sure your old ones are not that comfortable, plastered with mud." Éowyn asked calmly. She had not rushed what she had said, and Ello felt like she could trust Éowyn, the same instinct that drew her to Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, not to mention Gandalf and Galadriel, or Sam and- It hurt to think his name, and strangely Ello missed him more than her brothers, or her father. _Frodo_. The ring made her terrified for him

"No, My Lady. At least, none that would be anything like what you all wear here, as I come from very, very far away." She smiled nervously, and Éowyn grinned back.

"It does not matter what type of clothes you wear, and we would prefer it if you were comfortable. Besides, the King is intrigued by you and your companions; he should like to see what you usually wear. I will leave you for a moment, your bag is there." Éowyn rose and left.

A minute later she was shocked by what Ello was wearing when she came of the door. It was not disrespectful, just... strange. Ello had not paid attention to what she had thrown out at the river, but all she was left with was a pair of leggings she had ripped to three quarter length that sat underneath an intricately decorated long floaty top that came down to her mid thighs. It was in fact Singaporean, but there was no point in telling anyone that. Her hair was braided over her shoulder in a fishtail plait, with a thin gold Alice-Band perched on top of her head.

Éowyn blinked. "Well, it is different, but not half as bad as I was expecting from the look on your face. It is fine. Come." Ello followed her down a long corridor which led into the throne room she had seen the day before.

Gimli watched intently as Ello was led into the room. They had been told she must wear her own clothes, and Gimli felt proud of her; she had done her best to look decent with what she had. Gandalf was out 'arranging important things yet to come' but Gimli still was unsure of the King; Aragorn and Gandalf both trusted him, but something was causing Gimli to be uneasy. Ello still looked scared as ever, so Gimli did not know what to think. Ello was soon standing amongst them and Legolas whispered in her ear. "Do you trust the King?" he breathed. She took a deep breath, and then whispered back. "I think so. I have no instinct telling me otherwise, but he scares me. Something bad is going to happen. Soon."

**Authors Note: not very happy with this chapter- it is just little snippets of everyone- sorry! Next chapter will try to be better! Promise! **

**Hobbsy3**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

"Moya ca lokad olono, Ello?" Legolas asked; _what do you mean, Ello?_

Ello looked more scared than ever. "Legolas, karko kiue Na poudcoi lokad? Karko kiue Na poudcoi _karon_? Karko kiue Na hudaynos buaňi notik? Na'l chicton, Legolas." _Legolas, how can I understand you? How can I understand _me_? How can I talk like this? I'm scared, Legolas. _

"In Mirkwood we studied the language of the- your people." He corrected himself. "My father was and is very interested, especially how it comes naturally to those smaller than dwarves. Hobbits and river folk, younger elves." Aragorn and Gimli glanced at him as Legolas burned internally at his mistake.

Ello began to shake slightly.

"Who," the King asked carefully, "Are your people?"

Many things happened at once. A soldier looked at Ello and screeched.

"Kill it!" he shrieked. "It is a leiveia! Kill it!"

The king stood up immediately and glared at Ello in a new way. Her whole body was moving violently from hyperventilating, and Gimli stood in front of her, Legolas behind. Aragorn raised his hands above his head. "I can explain, Théoden, Gandalf can help me when he returns!" he cried.

"You know of our tale, Aragorn, how dare you bring that vermin here!" the King spat

"She is a child, Théoden!" Aragorn cried, but whatever the tale was, Ello thought, Théoden was stuck to it like glue. But at that exact moment Legolas saw the snake slither up the King's throne. He let out a strangled cry, but no one heard. Except Ello. She looked up and the blood drained from her face.

"The wild men are raging through the north and you bring this here! Háma, get the ofik! NOW!"

"But my Lord, we only use that for-"

"Just get it, I will only use it if there is need to!"

Ello lurched outwards and grabbed a sword from a nearby guard. It was large and heavy, but Legolas still had not moved, and no one else could see the deadly snake poise to strike the Kings neck. She did not notice Háma run back into the room carrying a large sack. "My Lord, move!" She yelled, and threw the sword at the snake. The sword landed straight in the snakes neck, and for a moment there was silence. Legolas groaned softly as he realised what everyone else could see. As he realised why even Aragorn and Gimli were staring at Ello, now trembling again, in horror.

"Gimli, Aragorn, the shinom!" He cried pointing to what the others could only see as blood falling from a sword in nowhere. The spell-like silence ceased, and uproar broke out in Théoden's hall, uproar seemingly too strong for eighteen people. Háma threw the sack which enveloped Ello, and a rope yanked it up. Ello screamed in terror and the hall quietened.

"Let her down, Théoden, she just saved your life." Aragorn cried with barely concealed anger.

"By throwing a sword at me?" Théoden snarled back, just as angry.

"There was _shinom_!" Legolas cried. "One bite and even a strong elf would be dead. Only elf eyes are sensitive enough to see them!"

All of a sudden, the air was pierced by a bloodcurdling scream. One filled with pain. Ello was in extreme pain.

"Ello!" Aragorn yelled, and leapt forward, Gimli and Legolas right behind him, but they were restrained immediately. It took three soldiers each.

"She cannot hear you. Or see you. But we can hear her." Théoden cried his face pale; he did not like to put anyone in pain.

"You are evil!" Legolas cried. "She is only a child!"

"A descendent of one who slaughtered the people of Rohan." Théoden said, "And Legolas, it was a gift, from the _elves._ Magic does not work on it. We use it mainly for orcs. All it does is gives you the illusion that you are in pain."

"My Lord!" Éowyn cried. "She will not be able to stand it, I know, and I was in there by accident for less time than she!"

"I have to get some things straight first." Théoden flinched as Ello screamed again, and began thrashing around inside the sack.

"Let her out, Théoden, please!" Aragorn cried. Next to him Gimli was typically roaring out all the swear words he had ever heard in his life, and Aragorn was half glad that Ello could not hear them. "Théoden, I promised her that no harm would come to her here; if she were a child of the Eastern Warriors, but came under our protection and saved your life, would you have done this to her?"

Théoden looked thoughtful. "I do not wish any innocent creature harm, Aragorn. But she cannot be trusted. The last leiveia to take residence in these halls slaughtered over half the Nobles, and the King! They are deceitful!"

"That was _one male_ adult leiveia over three thousand years ago! She is a fifteen year old, female leiveia who had no idea of the history of her kind until just over a week ago! Should we elves slay the children of Rohan for the madman who murdered so many elves two thousand years ago? Please! Let her go, she does not have your ancestors blood on her hands, she is innocent to the point of being naïve. Please, please. Would you have a child's blood on _your_ hands?"

Suddenly, Ello's frightened pants ceased.

It was so hot, and when the pain seared through, Ello wanted to throw up, but this was the worst so far. Frodo's voice; "Kill her, we don't care," rang through the sack. And she began to cry.

"What's going on?" Gimli bellowed, as small sobs echoed through the throne room. Then silence. Then- a scream. A scream saturated with pain, ten times as much as in the first two times put together. And this time Ello's scream went on and on.

"KILL ME!" she screamed, and it sounded like her lungs would burst, her writhing figure visible through the sack. Her three companions were struggling as hard as they could, but it was not enough.

Ello's body was on fire, every inch of her felt like it was being stabbed by a million knives, some blunt and some sharp. She was going to die, and she knew it. She was going to die, die from the pain…

Her scream, punctuated by occasional sobs, went on and on. The King was frozen literally; horrified at what was happening, and the guards were too scared to move. It was Éowyn who finally stopped it. She snatched Háma's sword and cleaved through the rope the sack was hanging from, grabbing the top half and easing the sack to the floor. Then she rushed forward and shook Ello free of the sack. The screaming stopped and Théoden blinked, signalling to the guards to release the trio (Gimli pausing only to stamp on a guards foot), and they rushed to Ello, who was curled up in a ball on the cold stone floor. Aragorn knelt next to her, and she looked at him and flinched.

"What have you done to her?" Aragorn's voice shook.

Théoden shook his head wordlessly and Ello looked back through a vision on what happened while she was in the sack. Then she began to sob quietly again. This time when Aragorn put his hand on her shoulder she flung her frail body into his arms. He gently rubbed up and down her back. Legolas stroked her hair and Gimli squeezed her shoulder gently.

"Please, forgive me Ello. This is completely fault. First I made the mistake taking, then I froze at the shinom, I-" Legolas murmured as Ello shakily stood up.

"Don't be silly Legolas. It's no one's fault." Ello mumbled. "If it's anyone's fault its mi-"

"Mine." Théoden humbly strode over. He knelt and looked Ello in the eye. The guards exchanged shocked looks as their king knelt on the floor bowing to a young girl. "I am so very sorry Ello. If I had any idea… Your people were told to me as monsters, and I am sorry for being so prejudiced."

To everyone's surprise, Ello smiled, nervously, but even her eyes danced. "You are sorry. And I forgive you. You were just doing what you thought was right for your people. Your body language tells me that you didn't like it. The feeling of danger from you has passed, and I guess often when you have people who need your protection, the unknown is not a risk worth taking. I am the unknown. So you were worried. I am fine."

At that moment Gandalf strode into the room. "What," He asked in disgust "Happened here?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

**Author's Note: Finally my internet works again! Thank you so much to those lovely people who reviewed, it means the world to me! Maybird54, thanks for the constructive criticism! I don't have time to edit her character in earlier chapters, so I've tried to improve her, please tell me what you think as I may have failed miserably! Please, please, please, review! Thanks! **

Treebeard strode through the forest and sighed deeply when he saw the tree. "Now, release them, come on." The roots groaned and Merry and Pippin shot out of the earth. Treebeard lifted them up and put them onto his shoulders. "Now sleep." He told the tree. "Eat Earth. Dig Deep. Sleep.

"It is no longer safe here, Master Hobbits. The forest grows restless, the Ents must council." Treebeard finished.

Merry and Pippin looked at each other.

"Théoden, you must stay and fight! Draw Saruman away from your women and children."

"Gandalf, I know what you would have me do. But I will not cause further death to my people." Théoden said firmly. "We must flee, to Helms Deep. I will not risk open war."

"Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not." Aragorn said.

"Last I looked, Théoden, not Aragorn was King of Rohan."

And minutes after soldiers were shouting the message to the people of Rohan; "We flee to Helm's Deep. Do not burden yourself with treasures. Take only what provisions you need."

Gandalf rose and strode into the stable, Aragorn followed him. "Théoden has a strong will, but I fear for him." Gandalf sighed. "He thinks that he is leading them to safety, what they will find is a slaughter. He will need you by the end, Aragorn. Look for me on the fifth day look to the east at dawn." With that Gandalf mounted Shadowfax, and took off rode away.

"Whoa! Whoa boy!" someone yelled. Two men were holding ropes attached to a horses bridle; the horse was rearing and bucking. Aragorn signalled for someone to give him the rope, and they hastily obeyed, desperate to get away. Aragorn slowly began murmuring in Elfish, and when the other man scurried away, he scarcely noticed. Slowly, he worked his way up the rope until he reached the horse's head. The horse stilled, but still quivered with slight fear. Aragorn continued to murmur. "Ho nam a ther?"

"His name is Brego." Said Éowyn, who had entered behind Aragorn.

"Sin nam as kinglige" Aragorn whispered.

"He was my cousin's horse." Éowyn said softly. "I have heard of the magic of the elves, but I did not expect it in a ranger from the North."

Aragorn looked at her. "I was raised in Rivendell for a time. Set this horse free. He has seen too much of war." Éowyn nodded and they walked in silence back to the Kings home.

Night seemed to come quickly that night, as if eager for the next day, the day of departure, to come. Aragorn found Ello sitting up in a bed, a single candle on the table beside her, her nails digging into her arms. He sat on the bed next to her. "You should sleep; it's a long way to Helms Deep."

"I don't want to sleep." She mumbled

"Why not?" Aragorn asked.

"I get nightmares. About all sorts of things, sometimes about my family; my brothers and father. Occasionally my mother, if you can even call her a mother." Ello made a face. When she continued her voice was small. "But mostly about Frodo and Sam."

"I know." Aragorn murmured, and she rested her head on Aragorn's shoulder.

"She's alright Aragorn."

"What?" Aragorn asked, completely lost.

"Arwen." Aragorn hung his head and Ello continued. "I see you worrying, missing her. I know how you feel, so I looked for her. She is fine Aragorn. But she misses you too. God, Aragorn, she misses you bad."

Aragorn was silent for a moment.

"Aragorn, I know what you feel like. I have felt similar, I can tell you. I bear a mark of one I once loved around my neck."

Confused, Aragorn looked over. She was fiddling with something around her neck again. In the dim light he could see a gold chain, like the one Frodo wore. And, he could see a silhouette.

A silhouette of a ring.

"What is that, Ello?" he asked. She heard the change in his voice, and looked up.

"Oh. It's not what you think it is, Aragorn, look." She held it towards the candle, and Aragorn could see it. It was beautiful, but not gold. It was a light shade of silver, twisted with white and pale pink. "It's not even magic. I wear it around my neck, because it got too small for me eventually. You see, Aragorn, it was a gift from my father. They last thing he ever gave me. He gave it to me on my eighth birthday. It was the last time I ever saw him."

They had done it! Sam was unsure whether to be glad or afraid that they had scaled the mountain and could now see the black gates towering so high that you could walk along the top of them, and then just stroll onto the top of the mountains that the gate was built between. Frodo watched Sméagol warily; the guide was tense, that much was clear. Frodo realised that they had reached Mordor, and they had not seen Ello for days now. Did that mean that she could not come back? Presumably it did. But why, she couldn't be dead could she? Thoughts for Ello and for Strider, and Merry and Pippin and Legolas and Gimli flooded Frodo's head and a strong, sad yearning for Gandalf took over. But Frodo could not dwell on others. He had to focus on the matter at hand. It was impossible to try and have fun now, but he had to concentrate.

"Mr. Frodo, look, the gates are opening!" Sam cried softly.

"Oh, oh, oh, no!" Sméagol put his hands over his ears. Troops were marching straight toward the gate. "Evil men, bad men! Come to pledge alliance to Sauron."

"Mr. Frodo, I think I can see away down!"

But Frodo saw the rock Sam was perched on cracking. "Sam, no!"

But with a small cry Sam was gone.

Ello screamed. Her eyes flew open and she clamped her hand over her mouth. She was breathing heavily, and shaking, things she was doing too much of lately. She swiftly pulled herself together, flipping her hair over her shoulders and rubbing her eyes. She was not alone for long, though. Aragorn came in swiftly.

"Nightmare?" He murmured.

She nodded mutely and Aragorn pulled her out of bed.

"Time to go." She nodded again. Aragorn squeezed her arm softly. "Do not worry, Ello. It was just a dream. Dreams twist many thoughts."

"I know, I know. I'm good."

"You will be alright. You have to believe." She nodded once more and Aragorn gently kissed her forehead and left. "We leave in an hour."

She quickly slipped into her clothes. The king and Gandalf had agreed that it would be safest to wear a thin dress over her original clothes.

For the first time since leaving Earth, she looked at everything in her bag. There was a first aid kit, a really good one, one bar of chocolate and a few wrappers, a water bottle, her phone and, there- at the very bottom of the bag. She pulled out a photo frame and stared at it sadly. She didn't know how long she stood there for, staring.. She only 'woke up' when Legolas walked into the room to see what was taking so long.

"Ello?" he came up behind her. "Oh. Ello is that your family?" She nodded mutely; she had simply slotted a small photograph of her father into the photo frame with a photo of her and her brothers, and she had all the memories she needed. Too many. Legolas put his arm around her shoulders and she smiled.

"I miss them. God, I need to stop." She sighed as she put the frame back into the bag.

"Doing what? I don't think I have ever seen you do wrong!" Legolas' mouth twitched.

"You haven't known me long, have you? I have to stop crying. It's embarrassing." She yawned.

"Did you get no sleep at all last night?" Legolas teased as she slipped her bag onto her shoulders. She did not smile.

"No. I had nightmares the whole night."

"Forgive me. I was careless."

"Legolas, its fine. I'm just tired. I'm not going to die. Calm down."

A few seconds later Legolas slung Ello over his shoulder. "Oof!" she gasped. "Legolas put me down."

"You said you were tired." But he lowered her down to the ground all the same.

"I'll survive." She mumbled wearily.

"At last!" Merry breathed as Treebeard declared that they had reached their destination. Treebeard let Merry and Pippin down, and made a deep, groaning sound in the back of his throat. And one by one, the Ents emerged from the woods. They were big, and small, thick and thin, young and old, and even awake and seemingly asleep. Merry looked at Pippin, who looked confused.

"What-" he began, but Merry said "shush!" and pointed at Treebeard, who was making the deep sound again. "They are deciding whether or not to help."

Treebeard turned around. "The council of the Ents has begun."

The whole population of Edoras left the gates in a slow ooze of people, young, old, afraid, excited. Gimli and Aragorn were riding next to Éowyn, whom Gimli was entertaining with stories of dwarf women. Ello sat behind Aragorn, mostly just staring into space. Legolas was ahead of the main surge, keeping lookout.

For three days the citizens of Edoras travelled alongside the four travellers. Early the third day, Háma and another soldier rode ahead of even Legolas, to examine the rocky outcrop ahead. Théoden did not doubt the ease of the passage, only the fact that it would be the perfect place for an orc ambush.

Ello gasped sharply as her eyes glazed over. Aragorn twisted in the saddle and grasped her shoulders just before she fell to the ground.

It was black around the edges, but Ello could see clearly. She could see Háma, and another of the King's bodyguards. They had ridden ahead. A giant wolf face leers down over a giant boulder. A warg rider. An orc is its rider. It leaps onto one of the men; Ello cannot see who. It is thrice the size of Gimli. The other man attacks the orc. It is too late for the first man. He and his horse lie dead on the floor. It is Háma. Ello sees a boy in another part of her mind; Háma's fourteen year old son. Legolas leaps onto the boulder. "A scout!" he calls, as he shoots the wolf through the head… it is fading…

Ello gasped again as her eyes closed, then reopened. She stared at Aragorn, and wordlessly pointed ahead.

"Excuse us" Aragorn muttered to Éowyn and Gimli, galloping forward

"No, don't tell _me_ what's going on." Gimli grumbled.

Aragorn rode to the King, and in a matter of seconds the King was aware of the whole situation.

"SOLDIERS OF ROHAN, FOLLOW ME!" Théoden called, and all around horses thundered towards him. "Ellora, find Éowyn. Tell her she must not fight! Tell her that she must get the people to Helms Deep as fast as possible!"

Ello nodded and slipped off the horse. She wound her way through the sea of legs and soon found Éowyn amid the peasants, who were beginning to panic.

"Éowyn!" she called, "Éowyn, Théoden says this; we are under attack, and you mustn't fight! He says you _have _to lead the people to Helms Deep!"

Éowyn made a pained face but nodded. "Come! Hurry! Stay together!" she called, as the people surged in a desperate bid to hasten.

She stared at Aragorn as he regained control of his horse.

"Aragorn!" Ello yelled frantically, being jostled by the people. "Aragorn, what do I do?"

"Go with Éowyn!" He called, but his voice was lost through the babble o

f terrified voices, and Ello did not want to be left behind. But legs shoved her around and she fell to the floor, her hands covering her head. The stampede rushed on top of her, until Éowyn herself almost fell over Ello.

"What are you doing there?" she cried, "You shall be crushed"

Éowyn pulled Ello up.

"Sorry, it wasn't intentional. I'm not used to this-I used to be tall."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Legolas pulled an arrow from his bow and fired at the sudden rush of orc riders. Again and again. As the thunderous hooves enveloped him, he swung with one hand into the saddle behind Gimli. The parties clashed, war cries echoed from either side.

"Oh, stuff horses!" Gimli yelled and the slid off its back, brandishing his axe.

They fought to a cliff edge, and all of a sudden a dead warg fell on Gimli. He heaved, and then _another_ warg came over the top. Legolas shot at it.

"That one counts as mine!" Gimli puffed. Just as he was about to get free, an orc sat on top of the pile. Gimli broke its neck, but it only added more weight to the pile. It was most uncomfortable.

Aragorn, leapt on a warg, and attacked its rider. The orc wrenched something from his neck and let go and Aragorn was forced to hold on for dear life as it thrashed all over the place. As it thrashed over the cliff.

Frodo slid down the rocky hill where Sam fell, despite Sméagol's pitiful cries. He couldn't be dead, no. He was not. Frodo could see him; he was not hurt, but buried in rocks up to the waist, in full view of the marching soldiers. "Sam!" he rasped as dust and sand flew into his mouth. He reached Sam quickly, and they began clutching at the rocks, but the cloud of dust Frodo had left had attracted two soldiers.

In desperation Frodo threw the elven cloak over Sam and him.

The soldiers stopped, and looked around in confusion. All they could see were rocks, scattered around. But they could have sworn that they heard breathing…

Frodo and Sam's fearful pants seemed far too loud and Sam held his breath, as they stared with horrified eyes at the cloaked feet of the Eastern Warriors came closer, closer. There was a gap between the cloak and the ground, which was how they could see the Eastern Warrior's feet at all.

But soon the Warriors gave up. They went back to their ranks, and when Frodo could see the last of the troops he flung off the cloak and he and Sam scampered in the rocks again. They were always a good team, and Sam was free very quickly. They silently scurried to a large piece of mountain which had fallen centuries ago.

"Mordor. I'm not asking you to come with me Sam." Frodo murmured sadly.

"I know, Mr. Frodo, I know." Sam looked as the last fifty or so troops processed toward the gates.

"One, two, three!" Frodo grunted, and he scampered around the edge of the rock.

"NO!" squealed Sméagol, who had incidentally followed them down the mountain. "Mustn't go that way! He catch you! He catch nice master!"

"Sméagol I have to!" said Frodo with gritted teeth, trying to go again. Time was running out.

"NO! Don't give him the precious! He catch you! There is another way!" Sméagol panted desperately.

Frodo stopped and looked at him. "Another way into Mordor?"

"Why haven't you mentioned it before!" cried Sam.

"Because master did not ask!" Sméagol squealed, and Frodo looked at him thoughtfully.

"Mr. Frodo, no!" Sam said in dismay.

Frodo looked at Mordor in a pained way. "Show us this other way, Sméagol." He sighed as the black gates boomed shut.

"Ello, come on!" Éowyn cried in distress as Ello stopped and shuddered. Calls of "Helms Deep!" and "we made it, my lady, thank you" just passed over Éowyn's head. She was watching Ello. Ello's eyes glassed over, and when she came around her face was white.

"No," she whispered desperately, "No!"

"Ellora!" Éowyn ordered sharply. "We are nearly there! Come with me, now!"

Ello whirled around away from Éowyn in the direction which they come from, and a small child screamed in unison with her, as a warg and its rider charged straight towards the crowd of women and children. As more people turned in horror, cries began. Most tried to run away, but the rider came faster and faster. Ello knew what would happen. She had seen it in movies. One armed enemy could cause so much havoc in innocent or unarmed people. So she knew what she had to do.

Terrified as she was, she took a deep breath and ran. Straight towards the orc and its steed.

Legolas hauled the last warg off the pile covering Gimli. "Aragorn!" He called. "Aragorn?"

"Aragorn?" Gimli huffed.

They searched, among the living and the dead, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Aragorn!" Legolas cried in despair, only to hear an orcs dying laugh. He turned to see a bloodied orc cackling. Gimli stood over him.

"Tell me where he is and I shall ease your passing! " Gimli cried, raising his axe above his head.

"He's… dead!" The orc coughed up blood as he tried to laugh.

"You lie!" said Legolas.

"He took a little tumble off the cliff!" Legolas and Gimli spun around, and the orcs final breath passed.

As he turned back to the dead orc, tears glistening in the edges of his eyes, Legolas saw a fine silver chain hanging from the orcs hand. He prised open the orcs hand and picked up the chain. A single tear ran down his face when he saw what it was.

The one thing Aragorn would rather die than lose.

The amulet Arwen gave to him.

Screaming fiercely, Ello leapt onto to orcs head and it bellowed in agony as her fingernails dug into her skull. Using her instincts she bit intensely into the orcs neck, but he wrenched his sword around and sliced his sword deeply through Ello's back. She tumbled of the orc and grasped the warg's tail the orc jeered down at her, but then the strangest thing happened. The orc gagged, and then fell off his warg. He was dead.

Wincing from the wound across her back, Ello heaved herself up along the warg's back. Even more surprisingly the warg shook her off and pounded away, whimpering in what seemed to be fear.

Ello stumbled blindly toward the crowd of gasping onlookers. But a few meters away from a wordless Éowyn the throbbing gash on her back took over and it all went black.

The skies grew dark over the council of the Ents.

"Oh, come on! They must have decided something by now!" cried Merry

"Decided?" Groaned Treebeard, turning around to face the young hobbits. "No! We have only just finished saying- good morning!"

"But it's night time!" Merry exclaimed incredulously.

"It takes a very long time to say things in old Entish, and we say nothing unless it is worth taking a long time to say."

Merry sighed and looked at Pippin darkly. Pippin just shrugged; he was just a young hobbit. How why should he interfere (as he supposedly did too much of) in matters that may affect the fate of the whole world?

After all, he was just an immature young hobbit.

The King led the remaining men of Edoras through the gates of Helms Deep. Éowyn ran forward and her eyes flickered between the weary faces of the men.

"So few?" She said, as soft as a sigh, "So few of you have returned!"

"Our people are safe. We paid for it with many lives." Stated her Uncle as he continued up the stairs. Gimli dismounted and advanced to the Lady.

"My Lady." He bowed his head.

"Lord Aragorn?" She asked. "Where is he?"

"He fell." Gimli's voice cracked, and he turned away.

Éowyn stared at her Uncle in horror and he turned his head away. She felt like she was falling, falling, falling, and that she would never rise again-

"My Lady?" Legolas asked softly, waking her from her despair. "I have to ask, where is she, where is Ello? We lost Aragorn, and she, she needs to know."

Éowyn nodded tearfully. "She is through here." She sighed, leading him up a staircase. "There was trouble, a warg rider, I believe. It charged at us, and she, she charged back, alone and weapon less. It was the bravest thing I have seen in my life. She survived, but not unscathed. The orc slashed her across her back with his blade, and what I believe would only be a scratch to one any bigger than her, she is small."

"I understand." Sighed Legolas.

He strode into the room where Ello sat in a bed. She looked up worriedly at his coming.

"Legolas!" she cried "Aragorn, did he, did he fall?" her eyes filled with tears up as Legolas nodded silently.

"I was hoping you could tell me otherwise. Are you alright?" he asked

"Why is everyone always so worried about me? I am fine." She gulped, brushing angrily at her tears.

He sat down on the edge of the bed a tear rolled down his cheek. "Sometimes, Ello, it is alright to cry."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

"So you saw him fall?" Théoden asked softly but firmly.

It was early the next day. It all seemed to perfectly beautiful to Gimli. Too beautiful. Aragorn was dead and the very weather was mocking them.

Ello nodded. "I had a vision. I hoped that Legolas would tell me otherwise." She sighed, but then her head snapped up. "Listen!"

"He's alive!" Someone called.

"Get the king!"

Ello and Gimli looked at each other, and then bolted to the door. The raced down two flights of stairs and Ello began to push through the crowds.

"Excuse me!" She panted as jostled through the crowd in time to see Aragorn dismount.

"Aragorn!" She shrieked. He turned and smiled as she flew into his arms. He looked terrible; his shoulder was bright red and every inch of his body was either bruised or cut.

"What happened!" she mumbled, her voice muffled by Aragorn's clothing.

"Nothing." He murmured as they parted and Ello looked at him apprehensively

"Aragorn, I saw you fall!" then she sighed. "You have ten times more lives than a Buddhist cat!"

Gimli embraced Aragorn and then began to lead him through to the King. Half way up they ran into Legolas.

"You're late." He said. Then he looked Aragorn up and down "You look awful!" Then his face cracked into a smile and they too embraced.

Finally Aragorn reached the King. "My Lord, an army advances at alarming speeds, they will be here by nightfall."

"How many?"

"Ten thousand strong at least."

Théoden paled and nodded. "Every male able to bear arms will be armed. Get the women and children into the caves!" he looked at Aragorn firmly. "We will fight"

It did not take long to arm every male prepared to fight; there were only 300 of them.

"Farmers, stable boys. This is no army." Aragorn muttered

"Most of them have seen too many summers." Gimli muttered.

"Or too few!" Legolas murmured back. Then he looked at Aragorn. "Look at them. They are frightened; you can see it in their eyes. And they should be." He then resorted to elfish "Three hundred, against ten-thousand! They will all die, Aragorn!"

"Then I shall die as one of them!" Aragorn spat back and strode away to get armed.

Vigorously he pulled on his chain mail and reached for his sword, to find Legolas holding it up for him.

"We have trusted you this far and you have not led us astray. Forgive me." Legolas said

"There is nothing to forgive." Aragorn smiled.

Gimli came in, struggling into a suit of chain mail that was far too long for him as he fell to the floor.

"It's a bit tight across the chest."

Sméagol led Frodo and Sam thorough woods and forest lands. Sam made an effort to be nice to Sméagol, but he scarcely succeeded. He could see that some days Frodo could hardly walk; the ring was weighing him down. Sam knew it then. The ring was killing Frodo.

"No."

"Ello-"

"No. No way."

"Ello, this is embarrassing. Is it too much to ask that you stay safe in the caves?" Aragorn pleaded.

"Yes, it is. Aragorn, I haven't been here long, and I can't just wait it all out."

"Éowyn has to wait too. What if an orc got into the caves?"

"No. Don't make me go, Aragorn. I don't know anyone."

"You know Éowyn."

"Not well. And I can fight better than half of those boys over there."

"So can Éowyn."

"Aragorn, please."

"No. I can't be worrying about you in a fight, Ello, and do not look at me like that because whatever happens I will worry, even if you are not my responsibility, you are a child-"

"I am older than some of those boys!"

"Yes, but you are small, and besides- what an amazing prize would you be for an orc? They would beat you badly, and then eat you half alive! Or you would be taken to Sauron, and tortured ten times worse than you were in the sack. Please, Ello?"

Ello sighed and made a pained face. "Fine."

Aragorn sighed. "We will be fine. Éowyn? Can you please take Ello down to the caves when you go, and keep an eye on her?"

"Of course I can. But why can I not fight? Why must I be reduced to looking after the women and children?"

Aragorn sighed, and looked from one to the other. "Please, Éowyn. You know what happened with the rouge orc before. Ello, you still bear the mark of it. If a repeat occurred, the havoc it could wreak would be unimaginable. And, Éowyn, King Théoden wishes for you to remain in the caves."

Éowyn looked bitterly at the floor. "Come, Ello." She said, and with a withering look at Aragorn she took Ello's hand and they walked amongst the crowd toward the caves. But they both turned simultaneously with identical mixes of envy and pain in their faces as they stared at those behind.

"We have decided," Treebeard sighed.

"Yes." Merry breathed.

"That you are _not _orc spies."

"What!" Merry cried.

"Don't let's be hasty!"

"No! Our friends are out there! And they need our help!"

"It is not our war. Return to your home. I will take you and master Peregrin out of the woods as soon as I am ready."

Merry walked angrily over to Pippin and began to pull his coat on over his shoulders.

"Maybe Treebeard's right. We don't belong here Merry. It's too big for us. We have the Shire." Pippin smiled softly.

"You don't get it, Pippin, do you? When Sauron spreads, the entire world will die, and all that once green and good will be gone. There won't _be_ a Shire, Pippin."

Haleth looked at the new Lord, Aragorn. Ever since he arrived there had been trouble; true, they had cured the king, but now Edoras was abandoned and he was going to fight in a big battle. Wrestling and sparing with his father as a child had been fun, but now his father was dead, and the chance of his own death was high. Men murmured sadly of doom and death, and Haleth turned to the stranger for hope.

"Give me your sword." Aragorn asked.

Confused, Haleth obliged as Aragorn asked. "What is your name?"

"Haleth, son of Háma, sir." Haleth swallowed "Men are saying that we will not live out the night. That it is hopeless."

Aragorn was quiet for a moment, and then wielded the sword with great grace. "This is a good blade, Haleth, son of Háma. There is always hope."

Suddenly a horn blew, and Haleth's eyes opened wide in fear.

Legolas came running down the stairs. "That is no orc horn."

Everyone watched in surprise as a legion of Elves marched into Helms Deep, led by Haldir.

Merry felt like crying as Treebeard carried Pippin and himself through the forest, but he bit back his sobs.

"I will take you to the western boundary of the forest; you can make your way back to your home from there." Treebeard sighed.

Pippin perked up. "No! Stop! Take us south!" Merry stared at him incredulously

"South!" Treebeard cried. "But that would take you past Isenguard!"

"Exactly. The closer we are to danger; the further we are from harm. It's the last thing he'll expect." Pippin tapped the side of his nose."

"Well, that doesn't make sense to me, but you are small. I always liked going south; it always feels like going downhill"

"Pippin!" Merry hissed sharply "Are you mad? We'll get caught!"

"No we won't. Not this time."

Eventually they emerged from the trees, and Treebeard gasped. About fifty to a hundred trees were burnt away.

"Many of these trees were my friends. Creatures I had known from nut and acorn. They had voices of their own!"

"I'm sorry Treebeard." Pippin sighed.

"Saruman! The wizard should know better." With that, Treebeard let out a great cry, and Merry watched in elation and hope, as many Ents came plundering out of the wood, all as angry as Treebeard; they came to fight.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello anyone still interested. I am sorry for the loooooong wait, so i will upload two chapters at once. However, this story does take time and i am working more on revision and my CSI:NY fic (Run, for your life) at the moment, so I WILL NOT UPDATE THIS STORY UNLESS I GET REVIEWS. Pretty please? Review? Please? **

**Chapter Fourteen**

Ello crossed her arms and her legs and sat in a small crevice in one of the caves. All she could hear from above were battle cries, and screams of pain. Part of her insisted that she would not have lasted long in this bloodbath, but most of her soul wished to know what was going on, and to help. It was soon unbearable, and Ello grasped with the insides of her head to see around the fear, to see a vision.

Just as she thought she could manage a giant explosion was heard overhead, and it all went silent for a moment until the men's cries came even through the caves.

"The wall is breached!"

"Pull back, pull back to the keep!"

The cries were extremely muffled, and Ello could tell that she was she was amongst the few that had been able to deduce the words, but the people of Rohan were not stupid.

"They're breaking in!"

More crying and screams rang through the caves, and Ello watched as families clutched at each other. It only made her feel worse, and then and unexpected vision filled her mind. A young boy, she thought it was Haleth, was going to be struck down by an orc in little over a minute, and heartbroken at the pain in the boy's face Ello looked for what would happen if she were there. She saw her body, broken, still, but the boy walking around alive and she knew what she must do.

"Éowyn, I'm going up!" She called. All faces stared at her

"Ello! No! You cannot open the door!" Éowyn cried

"I will not have to! I swear to you, Éowyn, no orc shall get through the way I shall."

"Ello, please!"

"Éowyn, please, tell Aragorn I am sorry. Tell them all, I'm sorry."

"Ello-"

Ello took a deep breath and her eyes glowed. A small creak echoed in the cave and a hole too small for even an overweight hobbit appeared. One woman pointed and screamed, but Ello scrambled nimbly through the fracture and it slammed shut behind her.

Ello almost vomited at the sight. Men and boys lay in pools of their own blood, and orcs too were dead on the floor. Screams of terror and agony ricocheted around and blood spewed everywhere. Ello took a deep breath and pulled a long knife from the arm of a dead soldier; it was a good as a sword for her.

"Sorry." She whispered, and then she scampered towards a set of enormous stairs. She knew the boy was up there, possibly with her doom, but she had only thirty seconds left. There was no way she could climb that fast.

With a cry of desperation she threw her hands down onto the stairs and ran, using her hands and feet to give her momentum.

7…6…5…4…3…2…

"Ah!" she yelled as she flew over the last stair and ploughed straight into the boy, Haleth, as she had thought, and knocked him out of the way as an arrow splintered at the column where his head had been. He looked at the remains of the arrow and blanched.

"Huh, Th-thank you!"

"You're welcome!" Ello responded lightly. "You okay?"

Haleth nodded, then his mouth dropped open as he took in the appearance of his rescuer. "But, you should be with the other children and girls, shouldn't you?"

"I don't know, I'm fifteen…And where I come from women fight all the time."

"What are- you're the leiveia!" Haleth's eyes looked like they were going to fall out of his head.

Ello inclined her head. "I have to go. See you later."

Haleth shrugged and got back up to fight and Ello wove through the endless sea of orcs She had to see one of her friends before it was too late…

Suddenly she tripped over a corpse and she fell heavily to the floor, landing on top of an orc. Winded, she flinched as an uruk-hai stormed towards her; spearing anyone still breathing.

She shuffled forward and hauled herself up. An orc hand fastened around her neck, lifting her into the air, but she leaned in as if she were going to kiss him, and bit deeply into his neck. With a gurgle it died, but another uruk-hai had seen her.

"It's venomous! Bite it, make it suffer!" he yelled, and Ello remembered Gandalf telling her why she of all people should be careful among orcs; she was venomous to them, but they were venomous to her.

She sprinted through the armies, biting as many orcs as possible on the way. Frodo's face swam into her mind in a vision; he was blindfolded, being led roughly by a group of young men. She had to help him, she had to escape, what use was she dead. Suddenly she rounded a corner and was hit by déjà vu, so strong she almost vomited. It was the place her body had lain in her vision. She had to get away, but when she turned an orc leader stood before her.

"You cannot beat me, little leiveia." He cackled, and for the second time that hour she was lifted into the air by an orc grasping her neck, but this time he did not underestimate her strength, and he held her a safe distance from his body. "You see, the slaves we have in Mordor used to taunt me, call me weak, and I crushed them. I was punished severely, much more than I deserved for only killing 1000 slaves. So I have a certain hate for your kind. And I will kill you in the worst way possible for you, and leave your broken body for your friends to find, as a token of the wrath of Ufguh!"

Terror gripped at Ello's heart, but she tried to keep Ufguh talking; praying that someone would find her before she had suffered too much. "How... d'you know…they'll…find…" she broke off as the orc squeezed her neck harder.

"Because my personal slave saw it. She has the gift of foresight, and so I know that we will lose this battle, but it will have little impact. Goodbye, little leiveia." Ufguh's head lunged at her and he gnawed deep into the flesh of her arm, releasing his poison into her system. She screamed piercingly in pain and fear. She managed in the midst of things to chomp down on his overlong nose, and he fell to the ground. The last thing she remembered was the fierce, deathly pain surging from her arm, and struggling to breathe with Ufguh's hand around her neck before it finally went black.

The battle raged on as Aragorn hacked his way through countless orcs. He battle was bloodthirsty, and neither side was winning, Aragorn had thought before the bomb. He bitterly remembered the uruk-hai filling the drain with large spiked balls, and the suicidal uruk whom had lit them. The wall had partially exploded, and he had been thrown off his feet as the enemy surged towards him. Gimli had saved him, then he had saved Gimli, but now they were trying to break through the other gate.

"Brace the gates!" Aragorn yelled, and two dozen brave men ran forward with huge planks of wood, which they barred across the doors.

Still, the orcs began to break through.

"Aragorn!" Théoden cried. "Can you buy us some time?"

Aragorn nodded. "How much time do you need?"

"As long as you can give me."

Aragorn and Gimli crept around the edge of a turret, until they were in line with the orcs breaking in.

"C'mon, Aragorn we can take 'em!" Gimli enthused

Aragorn looked at Gimli. "It's a long way."

Gimli looked at the floor. "Toss me."

"What?"

"If I can't jump you'll have to toss me!"

Aragorn raised his eyebrows.

"Ah!" cried Gimli. "Don't tell the elf?"

Aragorn nodded and threw Gimli across to the bridge, jumping after him with a cry. They tried to keep the orcs away from the door and for a few minutes, before they began to get overrun.

"Aragorn, get out of there!" Théoden cried, as Gimli and Aragorn got grabbed by an orc.

"Aragorn!" Legolas cried, throwing down a length of rope.

Aragorn and Gimli stabbed the orc and grabbed the rope, and Legolas pulled them up.

"Pull back, pull back to the keep!" Théoden cried.

The soldiers of rushed in a flood to escape the mayhem.

"Haldir!" Aragorn cried. "Pull back to the keep!"

Haldir nodded once and signalled to his elves to pull back. As they did, Haldir felt a chill down the back of his spine. He felt a sudden pain as an orc axe sliced down his back.

"Haldir!" Aragorn cried as he tore up the stairs towards Haldir. Aragorn cradled Haldir in his arms, but Haldir's head lolled back and with a small sigh he died. Aragorn sighed himself, and continued to pull back.

They barred the doors to the keep.

"Is this the way it ends?" Théoden chanted

"Your men have defended it; they still defend it, they've died defending it!" Aragorn cried.

"So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?" Théoden recited.

Aragorn watched as the sun rose in the east; the fifth day had dawned. Aragorn walked up to Théoden. "Fight with me. Lead them out. Let this be the hour that we draw swords together."

All the soldiers mounted their horses and as the orcs broke through two dozen brave men rode through the sea of orcs, hacking as they went, and soon the bridge was clear, as the riders of Rohan surged into the midst of the orcs.

On top of the steep hill above the battle, Gandalf looked down upon the chaos and murmured softly. "King Théoden stands alone."

"Not alone." Éomer cried. "Rohirrim!"

Faramir led the hobbits through Osgiliath and shoved Frodo gently against the wall.

"Stay here, stay low!" He ordered, and ran to help.

Frodo walked to the middle of a derelict stone bridge, and stared as a Nazgúl and rider leered up towards him. Something took over him and he held his open palm out; with the ring in the middle.

"No!" Sam yelled, and charged toward Frodo. He knocked Frodo out the way, and Faramir looked up and shot the Nazgúl in the neck, and it screeched with pain.

Frodo and Sam tumbled down a ledge and Frodo attacked Sam. They wrestled until Frodo's sword was at Sam's neck.

"It's me." Sam whispered. "It's your Sam. Don't you recognise your Sam?"

Frodo looked down in horror and began breathing heavily. He rolled of Sam and dropped his sword; the clanging ring of its fall rang in the sudden darkness.

"I can't do this, Sam." Frodo gasped.

"I know, Mr. Frodo. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the old stories; the ones that really mattered. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of going back only they didn't. They kept on going. Because they were holding on to something."

"What are we holding onto Sam?" Frodo moaned wearily

A strong cavalry of two thousand charged down the hill and stormed the orc army, as the sun light blinded the orcs.

They fought with a grace, a fierce, angry, protective grace.

"Victory!" Théoden cried. "We have victory!"

Ents hurled boulders the size of a hobbit's house at the uruk-hai, and then they broke the dam, sending all remaining uruk-hai there to their doom.

"But there is some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for." Sam murmured softly, unaware of Gollum and Faramir listening in quietly.

Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas and Gimli were laughing with an old man named Galas.

"I survived against all odds!" Galas chuckled. "An' I only saw one little one fall. Got bitten by an orc, the poor little thing. Though he was an odd looking boy. Had really long red 'air, and looked leagues too small to be fightn' anyway. I didn't see his face as a whole, but from everything I saw of him I would have said that he was a little girl, had I known better!"

Gandalf grasped the man's arm. "Where did she fall?"

Scared at the sudden change of mood, Galas pointed up the stairs, and watched confused as the strangers hurled up the stairs two at a time.

Legolas groaned as he saw Ello's body still and broken on the floor, a look of pain consorting her features, even in unconsciousness. "She must have seen something, and opened her way into the battle. Stupid, stupid child" He sighed as his voice broke and his eyes brimmed with tears.

Aragorn and Gandalf knelt at her head. "She is still alive." Gandalf muttered. "Although healing her will be tricky if possible; waking her up would be necessary, but the pain could kill her anyway, if she is not strong enough. Yet, the irony of the matter is that now is the time which we need her the most."

"What do you mean?" Gimli choked; struggling to hold off the tears that threatened to overflow.

"I shall see what I can do." Gandalf murmured, before muttering incomprehensible words under his breath. Ello's eyes snapped open and she screamed in pain, and she writhed on the floor before her friends' hapless eyes.

"Gandalf," Legolas began, but Gandalf silenced him with a wave of the hand.

Gandalf continued to mutter, and in slow retreat, Ello's screams receded sluggishly, and her writhes turned into small twitches and her screams reduced to small sobs as she slowly seeped into a state of consciousness. Of the faces peering anxiously over her, Legolas was the first face to focus, and others followed.

"L-L-Legolas?" She gasped jerkily. "Aragorn, Gimli...Gandalf? I'm...so sorry..."

"You had better heal- we told you not to- Ellora you are in heaps of-"

"Gimli!" Gandalf warned as Legolas pinched his arm hard, and Aragorn said "There is nothing to be sorry for."

"Gandalf..." Ello's fearful whimper was scarcely more than a whisper. "Gandalf...it hurts..."

"I know, I know. Gimli, Aragorn, get the King; ask for a healer of some kind. Legolas, bring me Ellora's first aid kit." Gandalf ordered

"Gandalf, I mean...it really...really- spreading-" Ello fainted and her eyes rolled up into the top of the head.

Legolas returned first, and he stopped at the expression on Gandalf's face.

"Is-is she gone?"


	15. Chapter 15

**Here you go as promised, two WHOLE chapters. So please, please review. :'(**

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Release them." Faramir commanded.

"But sir, you know the laws of our country, of your father. If you let them go, your life will be forfeit!" someone cried.

Frodo looked solemnly at Faramir, who surprised him by saying, "Then it will be forfeit."

"Thank you." Sam breathed as Faramir led Gollum and the hobbits to a large drain type thing.

"I hope I am doing the right thing here." Faramir mused.

"You have shown your quality, sir; the very highest." Sam beamed.

Faramir smiled. "Where will you go from here?"

"Gollum says there is another, unknown path into Mordor." Frodo explained.

Faramir thought for a moment, before pinning a nervous Gollum to the wall.

"Cirith Ungol? Is that its name?" he cried.

"No, no." Gollum garbled. Faramir's hand tightened and he wailed "Yes, yes!"

Faramir released him and threw him to the ground in disgust. "Frodo, they say a great evil dwells in the pass above Cirith Ungol."

"It is the only way!" Sméagol cried. "Master says we must get into Mordor, so we has to try!"

"I must." Frodo sighed

"Then go with the good will all men."

"Thank you, Lord Faramir."

They set of into the tunnel, and Faramir hissed to Gollum: "May death find you swiftly if you bring them to harm."

Gollum sauntered through the tunnel after Sam, who turned around.

"You know Mr. Frodo didn't mean for those men to hurt you. He was trying to save you, see. So no hard feelings, okay?"

"Save me? No, no hard feelings."

Sam looked suspiciously at Gollum, and they all disappeared into the tunnel.

"Is she, Gandalf?" Legolas pressed.

"Not yet, but this won't be pleasant for any of us. She has some salt in her bag, and a strange bottle which is filled with water. Can you mix them?"

"What!"

"We must get the poison out of her system."

Legolas paled when he realised what Gandalf was hoping to do, but Gandalf was already shaking Ello's shoulders firmly.

She murmured something incomprehensible, and her eyes fluttered open.

"Ellora, you must listen to me. To get the poison out of your system, you must do something repulsive."

She groaned, and Gandalf poured the salty water into her mouth. Instead of spluttering, Ello swallowed, and Gimli and Aragorn arrived just in time to see her sit up suddenly throw up violently between her knees. Then she groaned again.

"Théoden said that a healer would be here in a few minutes." Aragorn stuttered, watching Gandalf begin to bandage her wounds.

Ello groaned again as the sharp pain of the poison left her body, leaving only the searing pain of the bite, which too was fading.

"Aragorn?" She whispered. "Am I going to die?"

Aragorn looked at Gandalf, who smiled slightly. "I don't think so." Aragorn murmured.

She sighed. "Is the pain supposed to be fading?"

"Yes, Ello, there was one of the painkillers that you showed me earlier in the salt water. I was hoping that it would work."

"So what happens now?"

"We ride to Isenguard! We have urgent business there."

Two days later, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Ello, Théoden, Éomer and a small party of guards emerged from the woods to see Merry and Pippin, sitting down smoking.

"Welcome to Isenguard!" Pippin cried.

"You little mischief makers! You had us on this wild goose chase, while you're sat here, drinking, and smoking!" Gimli cried.

"We are sitting on a field of victory, enjoying a few well-earned comforts," said Pippin, "the salted pork is particularly good!"

"Salted Pork!" Gimli huffed, and Ello giggled. Legolas smiled to hear her laugh and Merry and Pippin looked at her in surprise.

"Who are you?" Pippin cried. "I haven't seen you before!"

"Pippin!" Merry hissed, "What he means miss, is to ask, are you a hobbit?"

Ello laughed again. "No, sir, I'm a leiveia. It's like a weird type of mini elf."

"Oh," Pippin's brow was furrowed in confusion.

"Hey, I have this..." Ello rummaged in her bag and drew out her last bar of chocolate and split it in half, giving half to each hobbit. "It'll blow salted Pork out of the picture."

Pippin took a bite, and his eyes lit up. "Do you have any more?"

"I'm sorry. That was the last bar."

"We must make haste, my friends. We must settle for the evening; we speak to Saruman tomorrow and Ello, you need to rest, you are young and not fully healed. The part you must play tomorrow is vital."

They set up a large fire, and for a while, Ello entertained everyone by telling stories about her world, until Gandalf interrupted her.

"You should know, Ello that you are not the only person here to have stayed on Earth. I have, once for a while. I went there looking for someone, and made a mistake that has haunted me ever since." He paused, and the companions looked at each other, shocked and confused, even more so when Ello's eyes widened.

"Go on Gandalf," She whispered, "What was this mistake?"

Gandalf sighed, and when he spoke, his voice was softer than usual, and he would not meet Ello's eyes "One night, I found the wizard I was looking for. He had a small girl with him, about five years old, maybe his daughter; they looked related. I remember she had big blue eyes, and curly blonde hair. The wizard was taking her home from a party, and I stopped him on a dark road. The girl looked at me like I was a strange animal she had never seen before; intriguing, but dangerous. I told the wizard that he must come back to Middle Earth, that I needed his council, and he got angry with me. We lost our tempers, and started to shout. The girl began to cry, she was afraid; and I shot a spell to knock the wizard off his feet, but-"

"His reflexes were too good." Ello interrupted.

"Ello, what are you doing, let him-" Éomer began, but Ello sliced across him too.

"The man leapt out of the way, didn't he Gandalf? But he forgot that he was holding the little girls hand, and he accidently dragged her in the path of the spell. The spell hit the girl right under her right arm as she tried to turn away, and it left a mark that would never fade, whatever happened. The girl cried harder, and the man told you never to talk to him again, picked up the girl and ran away. Is that what happened?"

Gandalf looked at her and nodded. "The wizard forgave me when he returned two years later. He said he had to straighten out his priorities. Forgive me."

"How does she know this? I thought you said it showed if she had a vision!" cried Éomer.

"I do not know this from a vision. I know this because I was there. I was the little girl. The man was my father, I _was _five, and he _did _disappear two years later. Gandalf, that has something to do with tomorrow, doesn't it?"

"Ellora, if I told you that that man was once the head of my order..."

"No!" she gasped, "No, that's impossible. Oh my God." Ello shut her eyes and began to rock backwards and forwards.

"What _does_ that mean, Gandalf?" asked Pippin.

"It means that Saruman is her father."

Frodo and Sam walked through a beautiful wood, and Sam told Frodo of his contemplation. "I wonder if we'll ever get put into poems, or tales."

"What?" Frodo laughed.

"People would say; 'Let's hear about Frodo and the ring!' and they'd say 'Yes, that's one of my favourite stories. Frodo was really brave wasn't he dad?' 'Yes my boy, and the most famous of all hobbits, and that's saying a lot'"

"But you've left out one of the main characters." Frodo said in mock horror. "Samwise the brave. I want to hear more about Sam. Frodo wouldn't have gotten far without his Sam."

"You shouldn't tease, Mr. Frodo. I was being serious." Sam frowned, unsure of what to make of Frodo's comment.

Frodo smiled fondly at Sam. "So was I, Sam.

At dawn the company at Isenguard set forth to speak with Saruman. They were on horseback; Legolas and Gimli rode a white steed, Gandalf rode Shadowfax with Ello behind him, and Aragorn took Merry and Éomer took Pippin. They approached the tower at a steady pace and Ello twitched nervously.

"Easy," murmured Gandalf as the horses rode through the deep water; it was up to the horses knees. Then Gandalf raised his voice.

"Show yourself, Saruman!"

The company watched nervously as Saruman appeared at the top of the tower, and Ello took a deep breath.

"You have slain many men, Théoden King, and you have made peace afterwards. May we also have peace?"

"We will have peace." Théoden's body shook with anger. "We will have peace, when you answer for the burning of the west fold, and for the children that now lie there dead. When you hang from a gibbet, then we shall have piece."

Ello flinched and Saruman growled. "And what do you want, Gandalf? The staffs of the seven wizards? Or maybe the keys of Isenguard?"

"Saruman, you have ended many lives, and now thousands more are at risk. You have the power to save them," said Gandalf.

"So you have come here for information. I have some for you." Saruman smiled, "tell me, what words did you give the Halfling before you sent him to his doom?"

Gandalf hung his head, and tears welled in Ello's eyes as she stared at Saruman.

"And that exile will never become King."

Aragorn looked away, and Ello stared at Saruman angrily. "What do you know about that anyway? Can _you_ see the future?"

"And who is this, Gandalf? Have you stooped so low as to get little girls to do your bidding?"

Ello hissed, but Gandalf shushed her. "She looks after herself; she is no one's responsibility. She is here purely of choice; she is a victim of the attack on Helms Deep. And she is your daughter, Saruman."

Saruman stiffened. "Impossible. My daughter is in another world."

"I used to be. But you buggered that up, didn't you? When you left, d'you even care what happened? Probably not. But you should know that Jam had to do all of the tax stuff, which was way above his knowledge. Gel did all the cooking and housework, and I had to look after the twins. I was _seven _and I had to be a mum. Because our mum went crazy. She's now a drug crazed alcoholic. I had to work, as well. I acted in the local theatre, they abused me, they used me, they were sick twisted freaks, but they were my bosses, and I couldn't speak out, and lose my job. I had to stop school."

"You are lying, making that up. You are lying. You are some she-devil Halfling actress making up lies!" Saruman's face was pale, and Ello kept going.

"Okay," she began to chant in a soft tone.

"Stop!" Saruman cried, "Ellora, Listen, I am sorry. Please, join me. Come up here, I have missed you so much."

All of the company at the base exchanged glances.

"What, so I just have to follow your example and betray my friends? I don't think so. But, you can help us. Please, this wasn't how I remembered you. Or has every trace of my father died?"

"Ellora, this isn't Star Wars." Saruman chided.

"I know; I'm not stupid. That's obvious. But please, help me."

Saruman sighed. "I will tell you where your fate shall be decided-"

"NO!" Gríma cried, and he stuck a knife into Saruman's back.

Ello gasped and fell off the horse in shock, not moving when her head was scare above the putrid brown water.

As if in slow motion, Saruman's body fell, and landed on a spike of a water wheel. Everyone flinched, but Merry was the first to notice Ello. She was staring pale face and wide eyed, and as the wheel turned slowly, she didn't move.

Merry slid off the horse and dragged her up out of the water. She began hyperventilating, and on the other side of the horses, Pippin picked up the Palantír, and gave it to Gandalf.

"STOP! Legolas, ready your bow, Ello...there is someone you should see." Gandalf ordered.

Ello looked blankly in the direction Gandalf pointed, and then she shrieked in delight. She sprinted through the water as fast as the water resistance allowed. A figure was standing at the very base of the tower. He was obviously a Leiveia; he had straight jet black hair that swept across his eyes, and he had a beautiful face. It was Jam.

"JAM!" Ello shrieked, repeating his name over and over again as she ran into his arms. He held her in his arms tightly murmuring over and over again

"Gríma," cried Gandalf, "come down. Give us information you know, and you will be spared."

"You will not spare my life, Gandalf. You forget my power." Gríma spat.

Gandalf's face suddenly showed a deep fear. "Merry, Pippin, back on the horses, now! Ello-"

Ello screamed as a large invisible forced slapped her face, and Jam watched in horror as she disappeared underwater

"ELLO!" he cried and he sighed in relief when she came up spluttering.

"MERRY, GET ON THE HORSE!" Aragorn cried, but it was too late. The invisible force that had hit Ello had wrapped around Merry and he was dragged underwater.

"Merry!" Pippin yelled and Legolas readied his bow but Gandalf cried "STOP!"

"Gríma may not be wise or skilled, but he has a natural power within the water. He is able to manipulate it almost as if he had giant tentacles. If you shoot him it will be impossible to free Merry. No magic I know can work against this. Nobody get into the water. There is nothing we can do without securing Merry's death" Gandalf mourned, and Éomer had to wrap his arms around Pippin to restrain him from diving into the water.

"No!" Pippin screamed, grief wrenching sobs from his numbed body.

"Gandalf," cried Jam "we can swim!"

Gandalf's eyes lit up with a small spark of hope, and he nodded anxiously. Jam turned to his sister.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, and Ello nodded. "We have to swim it. To save Merry. He can't breathe underwater. We can."

"I know" Ello whispered, and as Jam squeezed her hand reassuringly, they dove into the watery depths.

The water was hard to see through, but Jam let his nose guide him. Gandalf had explained to him that in many cases his nose would serve better than his eyes. He led Ello through the rubble, and though they swam quickly, they could not see Merry anywhere. Ello began to lose hope.

Suddenly, a cold hand clasped around her ankle, and she tensed to fight. The hand pulled, and suddenly she was confronted with a smiling face; Gel.

He took her other hand and they propelled themselves forward, towards Merry, and away from the surface.

Legolas scanned the water nervously, but even with his elf eyes he could see no sign of Merry, or Ello and her brothers. Gríma was smiling smugly, and Legolas was so tempted to shoot him through his head.

"Gandalf, you know if the Halfling is not already dead the water pressure should crush him in about a minute, and you will never know when I move to my next victim. Or have I already moved on? Is your precious Halfling already dead?"

Pippin gave a strangled cry as Gríma started counting down.

"3, 2...what?" Gríma groaned and pushed down with all his might.

Ello, Gel and Jam gave another tug on Merry's legs and they felt him slip a little from Gríma's grasp.

"NO!" Gríma cried as he realised what was happening, and he picked up a sharp shard of rock from the tower floor and hurled it towards the water.

Gel shouted in pain. The rock that had broken his nose and sliced his cheek open had also burst the bubble he used to breathe. Ello felt Gel jerked upwards, and he pulled Jam with him, who pulled Ello, who wrenched Merry from Gríma's grasp and they all rocketed towards the service.

Aragorn exhaled loudly as he saw the two leiveian boys fly out of the water, followed by Ello, who had her arms wrapped around Merry.

"Legolas, now!" Gandalf cried, and Legolas's arrow pierced Gríma's chest.

Ello looked at Gel in alarm as she saw the blood spilling from his nose.

"It's okay, it's just my nose, and head wounds always bleed a lot. Never mind me, is Merry okay?" Gel asked, trying to stem the flow.

Ello quickly searched for a pulse. Then she hung her head. Merry was gone.


	16. Chapter 16

**I was gonna give this story a little break, but since I got reviews, I felt a little evil leaving you with that cliff hanger. So now you know- REVIEWS=UPDATES. Okay?**

**Enjoy, please review! **

**Chapter Sixteen**

Jam waded over to his sister. He saw the tears welling in her eyes and hung his head. "Oh, my god!" he whispered.

"MERRY!" Pippin cried, and he began to wade towards Ello.

Ello burst into tears and Jam put his arms around her.

"You can save him, Ello." He whispered and Ello cried harder.

"I was too slow." She whispered.

"No! You know CPR. You can save him but every second it gets less likely." Jam edged.

Legolas hung his head, and Gimli was in shock. Pippin was almost at the leiveia, and there were hot tears running down his cheeks from the looks on their faces.

"I'm not any good! I'll just fail!" Ello burbled

"No! Do you want Pippin to be like this forever? Do you want Merry to stay dead? You have the power to reverse it!" Jam murmured in her ear.

"No, no! Fine. I'll try." Ello sighed and wiped her eyes, scowling at her brother as Pippin came over and found Merry unconscious. "Gel, I'll need that big cabinet thing. I'll need you to hold it steady."

"Merry," Pippin whispered, unable to believe his eyes. He desperately grasped Merry's hand and his heart stopped beating as he felt the cold, still stone like wrist that just couldn't be Merry's. "Merry, Merry?"

"Pippin, I need your help to save Merry, if that's at all possible. I must be mad! You have to help hold this steady. Okay..." Ello heaved Merry's body onto the chest, pulled herself out and leaned over Merry. She thumped twice on his chest, first forcing the water out of his lungs.

Then she took a deep breath and placed her palms over his heart. She began to form a steady beat.

Éomer watched in confusion. What was the girl doing? Some sort of funeral custom? Death rights? He watched in shocked astonishment as Ello leaned down and touched Merry's dead lips. At first it looked like kissing, then like she was blowing air into his mouth!

Ello stood back quickly when she heard a small cough. She squealed, and Merry began spluttering and coughing. Pippin's eyes widened to the size of saucers as Merry began breathing heavily.

"Merry, Merry!" He gasped. Merry groaned and his eyes fluttered open. Pippin scrambled onto the chest wobbling it perilously. He slipped off back into the water and grasped Merry's hand.

"I did it!" Ello squealed, "I did it, I did it! Jam, you were right, I did it!" she flung herself into Jams arms and he tumbled backwards.

"Hey, watch it, laser brain!" He laughed, but he wrapped his arms around her.

Ello heard another groan, and looked and saw Merry begin to talk to Pippin.

"What happened? Oh, my head!" He moaned, blinking rapidly and unconsciously gripping Pippin's hand harder.

Ello laughed, glad he was alive, and hugged Gel tightly too.

"Where're the twins?" She asked, and Jam looked at Gel, who opened his eyes wide.

"Incoming!" He laughed as Ello flew down and a blur hurtled over her head. The blur was actually two twins, seven years old, and little over a foot tall. They were exactly identical; with big blue eyes, cute little perfect features and blonde hair that fell over their eyes.

"Ello!" One of them shrieked. He turned around and dashed into Ello's arms.

"Hey, Harvey." She grinned, and Harvey looked surprised.

"We haven't been able to tell the difference between them at all. Harvey's mischief has flourished." Gel explained.

"Well, it's easy when you've looked after them for seven years. Harvey's the one who's over exuberant, and Isaac's the scared one who isn't sure if I'm me. Sure it is, Isaac, it is me. I know that you were the one who broke the radiator last January, and you still owe me for covering that up." Isaac's tiny face split into a grin and he bounded into Ello's other arm. Gel and Jam helped Merry and Pippin back to the horses.

"What was that?" Aragorn asked calmly as Éomer's eyes bulged out of his head.

"Gel's the clever one, he knows how it works. I only know how to do it." Ello said before her brothers could answer, and Gel dug her in the ribs.

"It's called CPR; it just gets the heart restarted, and gets air back into the lungs. It's basically a way of bringing someone who has almost died back." He explained.

"And, Ellora, who are these fine people?" Théoden asked.

"Oh, right sorry, these are Jam, Gel, Harvey and Isaac. They're my brothers. You knew, Gandalf." Ello looked at Gandalf accusingly.

"Of course. I found them while riding to Éomer; they were lost and confused. They followed you, Ello."

Ello looked at Gel in surprise and he rolled his eyes. "What'd you expect, dummy?"

Ello stuck her tongue out at him, and Théoden summoned another horse (which fit all the Evans' on) and the party slowly made their way back to Edoras. Ello wrapped her arms around Isaac and felt more at peace than she had ever in her life.

Frodo and Sam trekked through a beautiful wood, following Sméagol.

Suddenly Sméagol ran ahead.

"Must have the precious!" Gollum hissed. "We kills both hobbitses and takes the precious for ourselves!"

"No, no, too risky, too risky!" Sméagol hissed.

"Or we could let her do it! Yes, let her do it!" Gollum hissed back

"Yes! She could do it!"

"Sméagol! Where've you got to now?" Sam cried. "I told you, Mr. Frodo. I told you he-"

"Come, hobbitses! This way, no time, no time!" Sméagol cried, giddy with glee that soon the hobbits would be dead and the precious would be his.

Éowyn looked down from the gates of the golden hall. She looked up in delight as the Isenguard party rode through the gates. She greeted them well, and when Ello introduced her brothers, Éowyn immediately found a bed for the exhausted twins, who only came a few inches above her shins.

That night there was a party celebrate the victory at Helms Deep.

"Tonight we remember those who shed their blood so that we could live. Drink, to victory!"

"TO VICTORTY!" the echo rumbled around the room. Pippin felt very small, as did Merry, and Jam, Gel and Ello. Then Merry offered to sing, and he and Pippin scrambled onto the table and began to sing a cheery song of the Green Dragon.

"Any news of Frodo?" Aragorn asked Gandalf quietly.

"Not a word." Gandalf murmured.

"What does your heart tell you?" Aragorn pressed and Gandalf sighed.

"That Frodo is alive. And that day by day he grows closer to Mordor."

Legolas walked up to a bar where Éomer was explaining a game. "No pauses, no spits."

"And no regurgitation!" Gimli chuckled.

"So it's a drinking game?" Legolas enquired.

"Last one standing wins!" Said Gimli, as he reached over and took a mug of ale.

Legolas shrugged and reached for a pint

.

The song finished and Ello stood up. "Can we try?" She asked and the men scoffed as she and her brothers came into view.

"What harm can it do?" A joyous soldier chuckled.

Jam hopped onto the table and Gel and Ello followed.

"Don't Stop Believing, Glee style and dancing?" Jam asked in one breath.

"Sure!" Ello grinned and as Jam and Ello began their duet and Gel began street dancing and chanting underneath them at the same time.

The men were dumbfounded and sat there astonished

"I feel something," muttered Legolas and Éomer raised his eyebrows, "a slight tingling in my fingers."

Gimli gurgled. "It's the dwarves that go swimming with little hairy women!" then he collapsed.

Legolas shrugged. "Game Over,"

The hobbits and the leiveia took it in turns to sing amusing songs for the men.

"Ah," Galas chuckled after Gel and Ello's duet of the song _Master of the house _from _Les Misrables_. "That was good. Aragorn tells me that your kind also can easily make you cry with their singing." Galas pressed.

Jam opened his mouth but Ello got there first, singing softly. Soon Jam and Gel caught on, and they sang together, in the parts used for the charity single of everybody hurts;

Galas sniffed, "'At was beautiful." Ello gave a small bow and smiled wearily.

She yawned and then blushed scarlet as a couple of the drunks began to laugh.

"Don't you be mindin' them, missy. You look dead on your feet. You boys, get your sister to bed, what's wrong with you." Galas grinned as Jam and Gel looped their arms under Ello's and began to drag her away. They left the party and were halfway back to the room when Ello gasped.

"Crap!" she said loudly.

"What?" Gel asked. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine...but...if the movies are all already out...well things turn out okay, but...we're here and things have changed already. What if everyone dies because we came?" Ello's voice was verging on hysterics.

"Hey, shush, shush. It'll be okay." Gel murmured.

"But I told Frodo that people were in trouble. What if it stops him from concentrating properly? I have to go, to Frodo and Sam. I will See where they are and open a rock path to where they are! Please, we don't need to tell anyone." Ello's voice was level but pleading as she stared at her older brothers. Jam opened his mouth but Gel silenced him before he could begin.

"She's not going to listen," he turned to Ello, "How long do you need?"

"How long do you need for what?"

The leiveia whirled around to see Aragorn standing behind them

"Um,"

"Ello's going to go see Frodo!" a small voice piped up.

Ello looked down to see Harvey standing underneath her. Harvey had scratched Isaac on the face the previous day in a play hustle, which made it easier to tell the twins apart.

"I woke up and heard you talking." He explained.

Aragorn sighed, "it's a good idea, but Gandalf would say it is too dangerous. Go. I will explain it to Gandalf. Are you sure you will be okay?"

Ello smiled. "Piece of cake."

Aragorn looked at her in concern. "Come back in eighteen hours." He walked back to the party.

"Don't leave again, Ello. I get scared when you're not there." Harvey sniffed.

She knelt down and looked him in the eye. "I've gotta go. But you'll be okay. Jam and Gel will look after you. And I need you to make sure Isaac's okay; you know how he gets scared..." Harvey nodded knowingly and she gave him a big hug.

"You sure about this?" Jam asked as Ello gathered her hair back into a ponytail

"110%"

"Good. I hope you know what you're doing."

As a four they crept outside, to the rocky outcrop at the end of the palace. Ello stared at the rock intently for a second, until a giant crevice opened in the rocky mountain.

"Good luck." Gel whispered.

Ello blew her brothers air kisses and crept into the inky blackness that closed behind her as if the rock had swallowed her whole.

Frodo was on watch. He shivered. Everything was getting to him. Worry for his friends; Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli...Merry, Pippin...and the girl. Ello. He thought of her almost as often as he thought of the ring that dominated his thoughts. He missed the strange girl who just popped into his life for a few days more than he missed the Shire.

Suddenly Frodo tensed, he could sense something, and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. But they had scouted out the cave, it went back a few metres and it was empty.

"Frodo?" the voice was less than a whisper; it was a breath on the wind. But it came from behind him. It sounded like...but he was too sure that he was dreaming to turn around. Until it came louder.

"Frodo? Is that you?"

Frodo whirled in amazement, standing in front of him, was Ello.

Ello took a slow step forward, and with a small noise of joy she tripped over her feet and into Frodo's ready arms.

"Ello? I don't believe it!" he laughed as they clutched to one another.

Ello took three deep breaths to steady herself, as they drew apart. "Are you and Sam okay?"

"I suppose so. If getting closer to Mordor is 'okay'." Frodo sighed and Ello stared at the floor miserably. "Are you alright? Are Merry and Pippin..."

Ello smiled and the sight of it melted Frodo's fears. "They're fine. We're all fine. My...somehow my brothers followed me here. I don't know if that's good or bad. And...I...I missed you two a lot."

"How did you get here?" Frodo asked breathlessly.

"I...I have these...abilities. I can do things...split rocks into paths leading exactly where I want to go. I can see things that are happening somewhere else, or have happened, or sometimes that will." Ello said in a small voice. Then she cleared her throat. "So, what've you been doing?"

Frodo scowled. "Nothing exiting."

Ello grinned slightly. "So tell me, how old are you?"

Frodo's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What?"

"You never told me about yourself. I want to know." Ello opened her eyes wide at Frodo.

He laughed. "I'm 34 years old. Just over mature for a hobbit; you leave tweens at 33. How old are you?"

Ello pursed her lips. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"I'm fifteen," Ello said.

"What?"

"I told you that you wouldn't believe me. Where I come from sixteen isn't that young."

Frodo smiled. "But still a child?"

Ello frowned. "Not really. From thirteen to nineteen you're a teenager, between child and adult."

"Like tweens, but slightly younger?"

"Uh huh."

"So, how long have you got here? What took you so long coming back?" Frodo asked.

"I have eighteen hours. Things kept coming up, event after event after event. I'm sorry." Ello looked at the floor shamefully.

Frodo beamed, "I'm glad your back, however long it's for."

Ello smiled and sighed.

"What's wrong, are you alright? Has something happened?" Frodo grasped her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm okay, nothing has happened. I just...in eighteen hours I have to leave again. And I don't want to. Leave you and Sam I mean." Ello sniffed involuntary. "Sorry, I shouldn't be such a baby, I-"

"Ello," interrupted Frodo, "I wish you could act your age. I wish you could have a chance to stop having to act so much older. I just wish...I wish you could be able to go home, to live in peace. You don't deserve this..."

"Frodo, stop. No one does. Not you, not me, not Sam, not Aragorn, not Merry, or Pippin- no one, okay?"

"But you're so young-"

"Frodo, I'll be okay." She looked him in the eye. "I'm not _that _young. And I can take care of myself."

Frodo just shook his head.

"Where's Sam?"

Frodo gestured to the corner. "Sméagol's hunting. He'll be back in about ten minutes."

"Okay,"

"Sing something." Frodo pleaded.

"What?"

"To pass the time. Please?"

Ello smiled and started softly singing_ May it Be, _ironically (though she only chose it for its soothing melody) a song that Enya sang for _the_ _Fellowship of the Ring_, and for the first time in possibly weeks, Frodo smiled.

"Master!" Came a shocked squeal from the cave entrance, and Sam woke up immediately.

"What's going...Ello?"

"Hi, Sam." Said Ello, smiling sheepishly.

"What, how..." Sam stuttered as they embraced quickly.

"I had to come and tell you that everything is okay. And, if it's okay, accompany you for about a day?"

"Yes!" Frodo and Sam cried in unison. Sméagol crept carefully forward.

"Hello, Sméagol. Are you being good to master?" Ello murmured. Sméagol nodded vigorously and Sam made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. Sméagol glared back and Frodo sighed.

"Stupid fat hobbit has to go!" Sméagol muttered under his breath, so low that only Ello heard. She dropped to her knees.

"What did you say?" she whispered, and Sméagol looked scared.

"Nothing, nothing!" he squawked.

"Don't you lie, you dirty little scumbag!" Sam yelled, lunging at Sméagol.

"Hey, hey!" Ello shouted. "You too have serious problems. Sam, try to look at things from _his _perspective."

"No one could do that!" Sam spat.

"Yes, no one understands poor Sméagol."

"If you had let me finish! Sméagol, look at it from Sam's point of view."

Sméagol shook his head and Sam grunted angrily.

Frodo sighed heavily.

"You should try living with four brothers." Ello muttered and Frodo chuckled quietly.

"Come, come, hobbitses, we are close, very close. Come now, no time, any more time!" Sméagol urged, and Sam grumbling to himself, Ello helped the hobbits pack up their small camp.


	17. Chapter 17

**Two chapters in one night-yay me! BTW, do you think my chapters are a bit too long? If so, please tell me because they're a lot longer than the chapters of my other story...**

**Chapter Seventeen**

"Where is Ello?" Gandalf asked the leiveia. Jam put his hand over Harvey's mouth. Harvey looked up at him and purposely took Isaac's trembling hand.

"Do not blame them, Gandalf." Aragorn strode into the room and put his hands on Jam's shoulders. "I caught them sneaking out; she has gone to see Frodo. She thinks that if Frodo and Sam believe that everyone here is alright they will be able to focus more. I let her go."

Gandalf put his head in his hands.

"She is very resourceful, Gandalf, she knows what she is doing. It may even be good for Frodo, less chance of distraction, something new and something good..."

Jam listened in silence. Isaac sniffed and Gel picked him up and held him close.

"S'okay, man. Ello can look after herself. You remember that bully in Marina?" Gel murmured.

Jam and Harvey collapsed into fits of laughter. Legolas looked at Gel questioningly.

Gel grinned. "Some six foot hunk twice the size of her tried to rob her. She was twelve years old, and he was on the floor in about six seconds, her heel in his face." Gel's voice cracked and he and Isaac joined their brothers laughing. Harvey straightened his face.

"He looked like this-" Harvey twisted his features to a look of shock that made him look like a clown. Then everyone joined in the boys' laughter; Gimli chuckling loudly, Legolas chortling quietly, Aragorn smiling, Gandalf shaking his head, the hobbits shaking with laughter.

Later that evening Jam and Gel got out of bed for a quick look around in case Ello came back early. Legolas and Aragorn were talking quietly. But everyone else was asleep.

Pippin tossed and turned. Eventually he gave in and got up.

"Pippin!" hissed Merry. "What are you doing?"

"I just want to look!" Pippin whispered back, scampering towards Gandalf. He stepped back quickly at Gandalf's open eyes. But when he waved his hand over Gandalf's face, Gandalf was asleep, clutching a bundle of blankets Pippin recognised as the ball he had picked up earlier. Pippin removed the ball from Gandalf's arms quickly replacing it with a jar.

"Pippin!" Merry hissed angrily.

"I just want to look at it. I only want to look!" Pippin pleaded, and ignoring Merry he placed his hands on the smooth surface of the beautiful blue ball.

Immediately Pippin began to shake violently. He cried out and fell to the floor clutching the ball as his body went into spasms.

"Pippin!" Merry cried, walking Isaac who took one look at Pippin and gave a bloodcurdling scream.

Outside Jam and Gel froze simultaneously. "Isaac," Gel whispered, horror dawning on his face as another cry, Harvey, pierced the air. They flew back to the room where everyone slept and burst in seconds after Aragorn. It was sheer panic; Pippin was rolling around on the floor, Gandalf looked shocked and the twins were crying.

Aragorn leapt down and wrenched the ball of Pippin, who lay on the floor motionlessly, and Aragorn began to shake.

"What would Ello do...?" Gel whispered desperately. He placed his body in front of the twins who were huddled in a corner, obstructing their view. Harvey was snowy white and Isaac buried his face in Gel's top.

Gandalf threw a blanket over the ball and Aragorn shook his head firmly.

Gandalf stood over Pippin. "Fool of a Took!" Pippin refused to meet Gandalf's eyes. "Look at me! What did you see?"

"There...there was a voice. It asked me my name. I didn't answer. There was a white tree...it was dead."

Gandalf looked thoughtful, and then he turned back to Pippin. "What did you tell him of Frodo and the ring?"

"Come, hobbitses, come quickly. See, stairs! We go up, up, up the stairs." Sméagol gestured to a giant stair case on the other side of a wide road.

Ello's gaze drifted up to the evil looking fortress up the road and she shivered. "C'mon, we don't want to hang around here for long."

With a graceful look both ways, and a careful moment of thought Ello stood up and scampered nimbly across the road, closely followed by Sam and Sméagol. But Frodo lingered on the middle of the road, the ring, was yearning, pulling him toward the castle.

"Mr. Frodo!" Sam hissed desperately, and Sméagol and Ello whipped around. Ello watched with dismay as Frodo began to saunter towards the fortress. "Frodo, NO!" Sam cried as he and Sméagol pulled on Frodo's arms.

Ello shuddered as her body gave her a vision; in less than two minutes an army would be walking right up where they were. As she juddered back to the present she realised that there was no time. Sam and Sméagol were winning; but slowly.

"Frodo! Please," she cried and Frodo hesitated. "Frodo, please, I'm scared. You're scaring me."

Surprisingly Frodo succumbed and allowed himself to be pulled behind a semicircular ring of rocks, protecting them from almost any view.

Ello slammed against a wall, under and outcrop breathing heavily. The hobbits and Sméagol joined her in seconds. Frodo faced her, his eyes full of pain.

"I scared you? I'm sorry." He whispered and she smiled weakly.

"It's this place. It, I don't think it likes me. I'm so afraid." Ello's eyes dropped to the floor in shame. Frodo put his hand on her arm.

"We'll be okay." He whispered, as Sam let out a soft groan from Frodo's other side.

Ello didn't have to look to know that the hundreds of troops were flowing from the fortress gates. She could feel it, their species were natural enemies, and the very presence of them was enough to terrify her without her even having a choice. In a swift rush of winds a Nazgúl flew powerfully into view. As the mount screeched Ello clamped bit down hard on her lip, and automatically she curled into a ball, her hands grasping her arms, drawing blood where her beautiful long nails pierced her skin.

"Mr. Frodo, do something, she's going to hurt herself." Sam's concerned whisper was barely audible but Frodo nodded, he was going to already. He gently met Ello's eyes. They were filled with a fear so young and innocent it burned Frodo's heart. He softly prised her hand from her leg. Her hand shot out and grabbed a fistful of his shirt. Frodo calmly slid his arms around her trembling shoulders in a comforting embrace. She clutched at Frodo's cloak, keeping him close, and Frodo murmured softly in her ear.

"It's not over, he can't see us. You'll be fine. I promise. It's okay." Frodo shot a frantic glance over at Sam. "What's wrong with her?" he mouthed.

Sam motioned for him to be quiet. Frodo began to rock back and forward softly. The army trudged by, some orcs grumbling incessantly. But Ello's terror deepened when they listened in...

"...an' they have leiveia! According to Gor the little female's real feisty. I can't wait to sink my teeth into that one..."

"Nah, she's mine...I wanna cook her alive!"

Ello whimpered quietly and Frodo's arms tightened. "It's going to be alright Ello. We won't let them near you."

Ello buried her face into Frodo's shirt and waited for the terrifying nightmare to stop.

"A fool, perhaps, but an honest one. Pippin told Sauron nothing of Frodo. However, we happened to have a strike of luck. Sauron will strike next at Minas Tirith. We must be ready. I will ride for Gondor." Gandalf declared, "Peregrin, come with me."

Obediently Pippin tottered after Gandalf, Merry in pursuit. Gel looked down at Isaac, who hadn't let go of his jacket and was still crying.

"Isaac, c'mon, let me take you for a walk." Gel murmured, lifting Isaac onto his hip. "Is that okay?" Théoden nodded.

"Why did you have to look?" Merry demanded of Pippin

"I'm sorry, Merry. I just wanted to look at it." Pippin mumbled.

"Why do you always have to look?" Merry ranted

"I won't do it again."

"Don't you understand? Sauron thinks that _you _have the ring. You're going with Gandalf." Merry looked at the floor.

"But you're coming with me, aren't you?" Pippin asked with a sudden tremor in his voice.

Merry looked at Pippin and shook his head.

Pippin looked aghast.

Gandalf sat Pippin on the back of Shadowfax behind himself.

"Here. Something for the road." Merry handed Pippin a small package.

"The last of the pipe weed," murmured Pippin in slight confusion.

"I know you ran out. You smoke too much, Pip." Merry's voice quivered.

"But we'll see each other soon, won't we?" Pippin cried.

"I don't know, Pip." Merry's voice cracked and tears sprung to his eyes. "I don't know!"

"Merry!" Pippin cried as Shadowfax galloped off.

Merry ran up to the top tower.

"Merry!" Aragorn, Jam and Harvey followed him.

"He always followed me. Even before we were tweens. I used to get him into the worst kind of trouble. But I was always there to get him out again. Now he's gone." Merry looked at the floor. Aragorn put a hand on Merry's shoulder and Harvey tugged at Merry's sleeve.

"Harv," Jam warned.

"I get Isaac into trouble all the time and P-" Harvey cut off as Jam's hand clamped over his mouth.

Aragorn looked at Merry kindly. "If there is one thing that I have learned about hobbits, it is that they are the most hardy folk.

After what seemed like an age the sea of marching boots faded. Ello's tensed body collapsed with shaky breaths.

"See, it was alright. I told you."

Ello shot a half hearted glare at Frodo and he laughed, releasing her from his arms.

"Thank you." She mumbled.

"Anytime."

Ello laughed. "You two are talking more and more like me."

"I s'pose we are!" Sam said teasingly

"Hurry, hurry, no time!" Sméagol urged.

Ello looked reproachfully at the long stair case and shrugged. She scampered up the first couple of stairs with no problem.

Frodo followed quickly and Sam cam last, as Sméagol scampered in front of Ello.

Soon it was dark. "I have to go." Ello whispered as they reached a ledge.

"What!" Sam exclaimed.

"I only had eighteen hours. They'll think something's wrong. I'm sorry. I want to help but you saw me back there. It's just..." with a sigh she pulled down her sleeve revealing to long scars of her torn flesh from the orc bite. "Orcs hate me. They've scared me in particular since one tried to eat my arm, though I bit him first. See, one bite from me, bye, bye orc, but one bite from _them_, all I get is agony. I'm so sorry Frodo. I can't do it." She choked back a sob. "And now I have to go. Here." She handed Frodo the chain with the ring from around her neck "I don't need it anymore. Good luck." She embraced Sam first, and then Frodo and she looked back to the hobbits miserable faces from the path that enclosed around her, transporting her back to relative safety.

"Ello!"

As soon as Ello stepped out of the wall she heard Harvey's terrified wails. The only way of telling who it was, was the volume. Isaac was never that loud.

"Harvey?" She called in confusion.

There was a small choking sound and Harvey came hurtling towards her out of nowhere. He pounded into her with a force that took her breath away.

"Harvey," she started to complain, but then she heard the sobs. Harvey almost never cried; if there was a twin with tears in their eyes it was Isaac, but there was no scratch on the boy's face. Ello knelt down peeled his arms from around her waist, keeping him at arm's length and looked Harvey in the eye.

"Harv, what's wrong?" she murmured. "You never cry. That's Isaac."

Harvey cried harder. "He's gone." He sobbed.

"What? Who?" Ello's brow furrowed in confusion

"Isaac. Gel took him for a walk four hours ago. They haven't come back. And Pippin picked up a scary ball and now he and Gandalf are gone t- t- too!" Harvey sobbed and Ello held him close.

"It'll be okay."

"I'm scared. I want to go home." Harvey wept.

"I know, I know. But we will be okay here. I promise. I won't let them hurt you. Or Isaac." Ello stood up, Harvey still clinging to her with all his might. She shifted him slightly to allow her to walk, and ambled up to Théoden's hall, where it seemed a shouting match seemed to be going on.

"You have to let us go and look for them!" Jam was shouting at King Théoden.

"Whoa, whoa, Jam, what's going on?" Ello cried.

"Ello!" Jam strode over and grasped her arm. "Gel and Isaac are missing and _he _won't let us go and find them!"

"It's too dangerous, we don't know what happened. I am sorry, and I will organise for some scouts to look for them-"

"There's no time!" Jam growled, and he leapt out of a window and hit the ground 10 meters below.

"Jam!" Ello cried angrily. Then she turned to Éowyn. "Will you watch Harv for me please? I have to stop Jam from being an idiot."

Éowyn smiled and took Harvey's hand.

Ello leapt after her brother and Théoden sighed.

"Jam, come back you idiot!" Ello caught up with her brother easily.

"Ello, something happened. I don't know what but- hang on I can smell them!" Sure enough the smell of the two young leiveia was fresh, but there was no sign of them.

Ello and Jam pushed their legs faster. Suddenly Ello tripped over something and fell over. Jam stopped after a few meters and turned around. Ello sniffed, and her eyes widened. She strained her ears and heard two, no three, sets of breathing.

"Ello?" Ello signalled at Jam not to move.

"Isaac? Isaac, are you there." Jam cried ludicrously, but the third set of breathing got quicker.

"Leave me alone! Go away! Please, don't hurt me! I don't know who you are!" a small voice whispered.

Jam's eyes widened and Ello put her hand towards the ground. Suddenly she stopped as if she could go no further

"You do know me Isaac. It's me, it's Ello, I promise. Where are you?"

"E-Ello?" the form of a small body flickered on the ground

"That's right. You're okay now. I'll look after you; no one is going to hurt you now." Slowly, as Ello spoke smooth, comforting words, Isaac flickered into view. Ello made a noise that one might make after a punch to the stomach; every inch of Isaac's tiny body was covered in bruises. There were scratches all down his arms and four gashes down his cheeks that were seeping blood.

"Master," Sméagol hissed to Frodo, "the fat one will take it."

"What?" Frodo looked at Sméagol as if he had said that there were daisies growing out of Mount Doom.

"The fat hobbit wants the precious. He will ask you for it. You will see." Sméagol whispered. Frodo shook his head and shuffled towards the sleeping Sam, but Gollum had placed a seed of doubt in Frodo's mind. One that could not be easily shaken.

"Isaac, what happened, who did this to you? Oh, baby." Ello scooped him into her arms and held him tight, and there were tears in every eye. Jam bent down and carefully stroked Isaac's hair.

"The bad guys."

"Baby, where's Gel?" Ello murmured.

Isaac sobbed harder as one of his hands unclasped and another image came into view; a body, with a metre long sword sticking out of its chest.

Ello threw her head back and all let all of her pain and grief out in one long, unearthly scream.


	18. Chapter 18

**Okay, I didn't exactly forget this story, it was just at the back of my to do list (and my mum's banned me from writing till after my exams) so sorry for the wait. I will give you three long chapters right away- ALL I ask is some reviews? Pretty please? **

**Chapter Eighteen**

Aragorn's head jerked up. A terrible sound pierced the air; Ello was screaming. Aragorn urged the horse into a gallop. He could feel Legolas and Gimli riding to his left, with Éomer flanking his right. There were other riders behind them, but it all faded away as Aragorn's eyes were met by the terrible scene before him. Ello had Isaac in his hands and they were both wailing and almost drowning in tears. Jam was leant over a broken body, shaking its shoulders, and a bloodied sword was lying next to them. The horses started to slow, and Aragorn was horrified to see that the body belonged to Gel. There were no signs of life whatsoever, and when Aragorn peered to his left he saw the tears trailing down Legolas's cheeks, and Gimli was sitting in shock.

The adults quickly dismounted and in a flurry of gentle words and soft actions the three leiveia and their dead brother were carried up to the safety of Edoras. Théoden, Éowyn and Harvey rushed to the gates and Théoden turned his head away at the sight of Gel's body. But Harvey shrieked and kicked and cried until Éowyn let him go and run to his brother. He embraced his twin fiercely, and without letting go of him he looked at Gel's body and began to cry. Many people were gathering at the gates and Théoden helped Éowyn usher them inside. Aragorn and Legolas took Ello, Jam and the twins into a separate room, but Jam started to shout and kick, so he was allowed to run to his brother's side briefly. Éowyn took the twins into a quiet corner and started to console Harvey, while easing what happened out of Isaac gently.

"Ello, you have to hold it together for the twins." Legolas pleaded, but Ello's ability to talk was long gone.

Despite Aragorn, Legolas and Jam's coaxing and Gimli's desperate orders, Ello refused to talk to anyone, not even the twins.

"Aragorn, we've been at it for an hour. She won't talk." Éowyn's sad face expressed no hope.

"Has she ever done this before?" Aragorn asked Jam. Jam sniffed, tears still trailing endlessly and unashamedly down his face.

"Once, when that bastard of a father left. She refused to talk for a few days, but when our mother sank into depression she had no choice but to talk again. But this..." Jam choked and started to cry again, pulling the twins closer to himself, and staring at his sister with deep concern etched in his eighteen year old face.

"What's wrong with Ello?" Harvey whimpered, "Why won't she talk?"

Aragorn sighed and bent to look Harvey in the eye. "She's sad. Very, very sad, and I don't know how to help her."

"How about a cookie? That always makes me feel better!" Harvey insisted.

Aragorn looked straight at Harvey. "I don't think a cookie will help. We just need to give her time."

Harvey's little eyes filled with tears. "I don't like it." He glanced at his twin, who was still crying loudly. Harvey scrambled back over to Isaac, putting his arms around the sobbing boy. "Ello will be okay."

"What about Gel?" Isaac sobbed and Harvey started crying again, but quietly.

"Come on, Isaac!" he yelled, and everyone stopped to stare at him, and the sudden

determination in his eyes. "Did that Fred in Harry Potter give up when George died? Did The Chuckle Brothers or the Wiggles give up when no one laughed at them? Did Tinky-Winky from the Teletubbies give up when he lost his purple bag? Did any hero _ever _give up? No! So we gotta keep going. That's what they always say. We should be at home now, with Jam and Gel and Ello, but we're not, so we have to help. Okay?"

Everyone's gobsmacked eyes opened wider as Isaac's eyes hardened and he nodded.

"There're too young to have seen Harry Potter," Jam muttered under his breath as Isaac began to talk.

"It was the big people...I can't remember what they were called. The big ones in black cloaky type things..." Isaac trailed off, his tiny brow scrunched in confusion.

"Ring Wraiths?" Aragorn asked, leaning forward.

Isaac's eyes lit up darkly and he nodded and gulped. "They came very quietly, and we couldn't hear them or see them until they were very close. They scared me, and Gel started to fight them. They were hurting both of us. I remember one of them picking me up and sticking me in a box. I could hear Gel shouting and saying bad words. I couldn't see anything, and suddenly he stopped. The box fell over and I crawled over to him; he was on the floor and-and-and" he gulped and looked about to cry, but Harvey squeezed his hand and Isaac carried bravely on "I grabbed his wrist and shook him but he wouldn't wake up. They started to look at me, and I just wanted to disappear. I think it worked, because they quickly went away and Jam and Ello couldn't see me."

Nobody even tried to stem the flow of the tears of the grieving siblings, even after Gel was buried. But Legolas was worried; why they had not heard the attack was one thing, and the other was Ello. Something was seriously wrong.

Frodo's heart was heavy as they made camp that night. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong, and his heart was hurting. It had something to do with what Sméagol had told him, but the other thing he could not put his finger on.

It felt like something was wrong with Ello, but Frodo pushed it to the back of his mind. He would have no idea if something had happened to her-how could he?

A short while later Sméagol crept over the hobbits' sleeping bodies and into their bag. He drew out one of the last pieces of lembas bread, and sprinkled a few careful crumbs onto Sam's cloak. Then he threw the last piece over the edge of the cliff and waited for the hobbits to wake up. When they did, Sam was the first to notice the missing bread.

"It's gone!" he cried in dismay and disbelief.

"What's gone?" Frodo cried.

"The elven bread!"

Frodo shot to his feet. Sam pointed at Sméagol. "It was him! It has to have been him!"

"Sméagol doesn't like nasty elven bread! And what's this? Crumbs on his cloak!" Sméagol gasped. Sam looked at Frodo in horror.

"Sméagol doesn't eat it." Frodo said slowly.

"Mr. Frodo, it wasn't me, I swear! I'll kill you!" he shouted and launched at Sméagol who dove behind Frodo.

"No, Sam." Frodo yelled.

"It's that ring, Mr. Frodo. It's making you go crazy. If you like..." Sam paused and Gollum edged forward. "I could carry it for a while."

Frodo stumbled backwards and Sam backtracked. "I don't want to keep it! Only to help you, Mr. Frodo sir. It's that Gollum. He has to go."

"No, Sam." Frodo went as I in a trance. "It's you."

Sam's eyes filled with tears. "No, Mr. Frodo, no!"

"There's nothing more you can do for me." Frodo chanted monotonously

"No, you don't mean that Mr. Frodo." Sam sobbed.

"Go home, Sam."

Sam stepped backwards, crying and watching helplessly as Sméagol pulled Frodo away, sneering at Sam. As Sam stumbled back down the stairs, every step meant heartbreak.

Gandalf pulled Pippin to the side. "I need you to do something, Peregrin Took. Another chance for one of the shire folk to prove their great worth. You must not fail me, Pippin."

Within seconds Pippin was climbing up a set of long, windy stairs. He scrambled onto the large pile of wood and set alight to the beacon of Minas Tirith.

A second beacon was lit in response, and soon the path of light had reached Edoras.

Aragorn was watching and when he saw the beacon he felt like whooping. He ran into the Golden Hall.

"The beacon has been lit!" he cried. Théoden's face remained unchanged, and Aragorn continued. "Gondor calls for aid!" he gasped.

"And Rohan will answer!" Théoden shouted, and he began organising his messengers to collect men. "On the third day we ride to Minas Tirith."

Two days later they were all in a camp on the side of the mountain.

"She's not getting any better Aragorn, and she's the only one who could get to Gandalf in time. Giving her something to do will take her mind off it, but this is not dangerous." Legolas argued, and Aragorn hung his head.

"But she _could _get hurt. The battle is going to be there, Legolas. I couldn't stand it if..." Jam didn't finish his sentence.

"Do not forget, she will be with Gandalf. That is as safe as I can imagine." Aragorn sighed again. "Your idea makes sense, Legolas. We will try."

Aragorn walked into the small section of the tent that Ello was in and knelt by her bed. She sat up and stared him in the eye.

"We need you to do something for us." She just hung her head. "For your brothers, for Frodo?" He had her attention. "For any of us, including Frodo and Sam, to survive, you _have _to get this message to Gandalf. I will show you what the city looks like. You have to go to a palace guard and show him this letter. It explains everything inside it. Be very careful. Understand? Can you do that in a moment?"

She nodded and they left her, all except Merry.

"Ello?"

Her eyes snapped to his face and she nodded.

"I know you don't want to talk, but, if you do, could you tell Pippin to be careful? Please, just tell him I miss him?"

Ello smiled slightly and nodded her head. They walked out to Aragorn in silence. Ello hugged her brothers and Éowyn, and Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli all patted her head. Aragorn pulled an old piece of paper out of his pocket and showed Ello a picture of a big white city.

"Do you understand?" Aragorn asked, and she nodded. "Good luck."

Ello wordlessly waved to her brothers and her gaze drifted towards the point where Gel was buried. Tears welled in her eyes but did not spill over as she walked into the newly made crevice that slid shut behind her.

Her feet slammed against a cool stone floor. She was used to this now. The tears she had been restraining hit her with a full force as she hurtled out of a wall and through busy streets

.

Beregond was on duty, watching his stretch of the city. The people were afraid; _he _was afraid. Mithrandir had returned to them with a small creature that he called a hobbit, who had turned out to be a charming little creature by the name of Peregrin Took, though Beregond had heard Mithrandir fondly calling the hobbit Pippin. Yes, Pippin was a very sociable creature, but still, a _hobbit! _Whoever had heard of such folk? As Beregond wondered to himself, he saw a small girl; about Pippin's size running towards him. When he looked closer, he was astonished to see that see looked as though was crying. As he watched she sank to her knees and hit her hand against her head. Before he could move, she had stood up and sauntered towards him.

Ello held the envelope in the guards face. He blinked and took it from her. As soon as she saw his eyes flash across the parchment she took it back. He looked at her blankly. She pointed to herself, her eyes, and then finally to Gandalf's name and the realisation dawned in the guards eyes.

"You want to see Mithrandir?" He asked softly, and she nodded, showing him her hand, on which some words were hastily scrawled in black ink.

"..._and...Pippin_..." Beregond read aloud. "You want to see Gandalf and Pippin?"

Ello nodded, and Beregond thought for a moment.

"Who are you?" he asked.

She pulled out an old pen and wrote on her finger two words.

"A friend? Of whom?"

Ello wrote again.

"Of Gandalf and Pippin. Are you another hobbit?"

Ello stomped her foot in frustration. Why wouldn't he understand? She wrote shakily on her other hand.

"Unimportant. It is a matter of life and death. Bring news from King Théoden of Rohan and Lord Aragorn of the Dúnedain." Beregond paled. "Is it desperate? For my Lord Denethor is speaking with Mithrandir, Peregrin and my Lord's younger son Faramir, and only wants to be disturbed in the case of an emergency."

Ello underlined the words _life and death _so fiercely that it drew blood.

"Alright, alright, don't go hurting yourself, miss. I have a job to do, you know." Beregond said quickly and she nodded, patting her foot impatiently on the floor.

Beregond sighed. "Wait here one moment please." He walked quietly into the hall.

Denethor was in the middle of shouting at Faramir. "You sent the ring of power into Mordor in the hands of a defenceless Halfling!"

"If you'll excuse me, my lord, I have a young girl here you wishes to speak to Mithrandir in a matter of urgency. She says that she has a message from Théoden of Rohan, and that it is a matter of life and death. Although, she has not uttered a word to me, only resolved to write things down." Beregond looked at Gandalf. "She says- _writes _that she is a friend of yours. She is of Pippin's size, but with smaller feet and long red-"

"Yes, she is indeed out friend. If she says it is a matter of life and death I firmly believe that it is. With my Lord's permission I will speak to her right away." Gandalf looked at Denethor warily.

Still angry at his son, Denethor spoke bitterly. "Bring her in, Beregond."

Bowing, Beregond went out to fetch the girl, and when he brought her in she bowed at Lord Denethor and Faramir, and turned to Gandalf, who almost fell over. The dead look in Ello's eyes was unbelievable.

He reached out and took her shoulders. "What happened? What happened, Ello? Ellora, you _must _tell me what happened. Is Frodo-" she shook her head- "Then is someone else hurt...dead?"

Ello's pain welled up again and she burst into tears. Sobbing quietly, Ello's tears were as unstoppable as the tide. She pushed the letter into Gandalf's hand, and as he drew back to read the letter she crouched down on the floor and sobbed. Gandalf and Pippin exchanged glances, and Pippin looked questioningly at Gandalf, who motioned for Pippin to do something. In a panic, Pippin knelt down next to Ello and put his arm around her shoulders comfortingly. She leaned on him and he tried to sooth her, rubbing her back in soft, slow motions but though the sobs ceased, the tears still trailed down her face.

As Gandalf read the letter, his eyes misted up. Seeing the look on Gandalf's face Pippin's curiosity broke through.

"Gandalf, what happened?" he murmured, but Gandalf held up a hand to silence him.

After what seems like an age to Pippin, Gandalf cleared his throat.

"I apologise for Ello's behaviour, my Lord, but she has just lost one of her older brothers, one who was very dear to her heart. With your consent I will set her up a bed in our room for a while?" Gandalf's voice wavered and Pippin gasped, tears springing to his eyes already.

"We are all grieving," Denethor muttered briefly, but motioned for Gandalf to go on and he shot Ello a small look of sympathy.

Pippin tugged on Gandalf's sleeve, but Gandalf simply lowered to the ground, giving Pippin the letter and scooping Ello up like a baby in one go. Pippin hastily opened the scroll and read Aragorn's words.

_Gandalf, _

_The situation here is grave, and a terrible incident has come to pass. The night when Pippin looked into the palantír, and Gel took Isaac out for a walk, the two of them were suddenly surrounded by wraiths. Isaac, although he didn't see the whole thing, still received serious wounds, and Gel was murdered, and all that Isaac _could_ see was giant strangers, his bleeding body and his own brother with a meter long sword in his chest,. Gel is buried and gone, and the leiveia along with most of us here are of course devastated, but a few of us here are more concerned of how the wraiths managed to ambush Gel and Isaac unseen. If you have any idea send word, but not with Ello. I only sent her to see if you can help her; nothing that we say can. She has not uttered a single word since Gel's death, and she cries more often than not. I desperately worry for her Gandalf, but she does not talk. Do whatever you can, as I know you will. _

_Aragorn_

Pippin gulped and swallowed back most of the tears in his eyes, but a few escaped and trailed down his cheeks. He excused himself and followed after Gandalf. They lay Ello on a long couch and she curled up into a ball. Gandalf gently prised her open.

"Ello, I know it hurts, but you have to look at me." Gandalf felt Pippin's troubled eyes on him but he kept his gaze on Ello. "I know how you feel, and yes I really do."

Ello's hair fell in wisps across her reproachful eyes.

"Yes, I do. You spend your whole life holding up other people, helping them, stopping them from hurting. Your own pain builds up on the inside and when something like this happens and you can't control it."

Ello's tears began to spill again and she nodded. Pippin began to stroke her hair gently.

"Well, I won't try to make you talk, Ello, if that's your way of dealing with it. But remember, things can get worse. Remember the song you sang with Gel only a few days ago? _When you think you've had too much of this life, well hang on, cause everybody hurts, sometimes. _You have to live by that. Be strong, Ello. For the twins. For us. For Frodo and Sam. For _yourself."_


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

Pippin was dozing by the fire when Faramir slipped in. Gandalf was trying to convince Lord Denethor of something. Pippin was startled awake as the door clicked.

"I was wondering if I could talk to Ello." Faramir whispered.

Ello raised her head and nodded, before dropping back onto the pillow. Pippin scampered out of the door, mumbling about going to get something to eat. Faramir stood awkwardly at the door.

"Do you want to know why I am here?" Faramir asked Ello and she stared pointedly at Gandalf's staff that was lying on his bed.

"No. Not because of Gandalf. I came here because it is the only place where I feel that I am openly able to grieve." Ello looked up in surprise. Faramir nodded, and she saw the beginnings of tears in his eyes. "I've lost a brother, too. Boromir was my older brother. I miss him...lots. You have given me strength, and for that I thank you. You are not afraid to yell out in public that you are in mourning; I could not do that. True, it would look bad as a general, but still...I believe that my father wishes that I had died and that Boromir had lived. Boromir was always the stronger son, the better son, the favourite...but even if I had wanted to, I could not spite him...he was so much better than me..." Faramir trailed off, tears choking his voice and seeping from his eyes. He had barely noticed when Ello's eyes had expanded and so he was very shocked when he saw that she was shaking her head.

She pointed at him and then mimed being strong. Then she leaned over and patted his heart.

"I am not strong of heart, little one. How could you possibly-" Faramir watched through narrowed eyes as she drew a ring in the air. She then mimed throwing it away.

"How would that make me strong?"

Ello reached into a pocket and drew out a list of the peoples of Middle Earth; past and present; that she and Jam had made to keep track of all the famous names. She ran her finger down to where it said...

Isildur- ancient king- Did not have the strength to get rid of the ring. Slain...

A single tear dropped from Faramir's eye. "Thank you, Ello. If you helped Frodo as much as you've helped me then he will be fine beyond any doubt.

"No, it is you that helped me, Lord Faramir."

Faramir gave a small jump at her choked murmur, but he kept his face composed.

"You were strong enough to face your men. I was not even able to comfort my brothers. I guess I just lost the ability to act. After seven years of holding it together, I just fell apart. My brother meant the world to me."

Faramir rubbed her shoulder gently. "All will be over soon, in one way or the other."

Ello nodded and wiped her eyes. "I have to get it together. And Faramir, were you told how your brother died? He fell protecting Pippin and Merry from a band of over a dozen orcs. They would have died if he had not fought. He was true to the end."

Faramir nodded, "I must go. I have duties to attend to."

As he rounded a corner, Faramir heard a small voice.

"You fool, Pippin. What good could a hobbit do for a great kingdom?"

Faramir turned again and saw Pippin sadly talking to himself. Faramir noticed Pippin's armour.

"That looks good on you."

Pippin turned quickly, and glanced down at his chainmail. "I didn't think that they'd find anything small enough for me."

"It once belonged to a young boy of the city, a very foolish one, who spent more time slaying dragons than attending his studies." Faramir mused. Pippin recognised the look on his face.

"This was yours?" he asked, smiling widely.

"Yes. My father had it made for me."

"Well, I'm taller than you were then. Except that I'm not likely to grow anymore; save sideways." Pippin and Faramir laughed, although Faramir was half-hearted.

"It never fit me either. Boromir was always the soldier."

"I think you have strength, of a different kind." Pippin stated earnestly, and Faramir smiled.

"If you'll excuse me..."

Pippin sank back down onto the bench. He was scared. More scared than ever. Gel was dead. Ello wasn't talking. Merry was miles, probably leagues away. A tear trailed down Pippin's cheek; he finally understood what was going on, and now that he knew, he didn't want to know.

"Stupid, stupid, _stupid _fool, Pippin! It's all my fault!" he scolded, and another tear escaped his eye.

"Don't cry Pippin, please."

Pippin jumped to his feet in shock as Ello stepped lightly into full view.

"You're not a fool, Pippin." She continued. "You're just inquisitive, and that doesn't make you a fool. Please don't cry. And what is your fault!"

"If I hadn't of looked at that _stupid _ball then Isaac wouldn't have been afraid and Gel would still be alive. And it was my fault the first time that Gandalf died."

"No, Pippin. It wasn't your fault. They would have done it to anyone. We were just unlucky." Ello murmured. "Please don't cry Pippin. I'll fall apart again if you do."

Pippin hastily swiped at his eyes. Ello dropped onto the bench next to Pippin. She grasped her knees firmly and stared straight ahead.

"I can't cope, Pippin. I need help."

"What do you want me to do?"

Ello gave Pippin a small smile. "Nothing. I want you to help me, by holding on. If you can, then I know I can, because it's been done."

There was a moment of silence.

"Merry says to be careful. He says to say that he misses you." Ello stared into Pippin's wide eyes and he felt like crying again.

"I just get in Merry's way all the time." Pippin moaned softly.

"No, Pippin. He loves you. You are _his _brother, or he at least loves you that way. I promise you, Pippin." The sincerity in Ello's eyes was undeniable.

"I'm scared, Ello." Pippin whispered. Ello shook slightly and leaned in and hugged Pippin tightly, whispering in his ear;

"Friend to a friend, Pippin; so am I."

"Now that I'm here, I just want to go back." Frodo murmured, peering into the void-like tunnel.

"NO!" Sméagol screeched. "Can't go back! Only way!"

"I know." With a deep breath catching in his throat, Frodo took a trembling step into the tunnel.

As the darkness enveloped him and he ventured further and further in, Frodo's senses began to tingle.

"Sméagol!" he cried in distress, looking around in the dark.

But when Frodo turned, he could no longer see the entrance. "Sméagol, where are you!"

Silence answered Frodo's waiting ears. Frodo started to run, and in his haste he tripped and fell against a wall, that was covered in a strange, sticking, soft substance. A...web?

"What is that?" he yelled in disgust.

"You will see, master. Yes, you will see."

"Sméagol!" Frodo cried with an ounce of hope. But all that answered him was a raspy laugh. Head racing, Frodo tried to find his way through the tunnels, but the further he delved, the more horror he faced. Soon Frodo was walking on bones, and he could see bodies dangling from the ceiling. With terror striking his heart, Frodo staggered through the endless warrens, but he could find no way to exit.

Frodo began to cry out as the webs clung to his hair and clothes and face. He could hear movement from the other tunnels.

Suddenly Frodo's feet hit something big and he flew into a pile of orc bodies. He scrambled across the floor and flipped onto his back.

With his heart in his throat, Frodo remembered the words of Lady Galadriel. _"And to you, Frodo Baggins I give you the light of Earendil, our most beloved star; may it be a light in dark places when all other lights go out." _

Frodo looked at the vial in his hand, and instinct told him what to do. "Aiya Earendil Elenion Ancalima!" 

The vial lit up and shone light a beacon, but as Frodo turned he saw a giant spider (That went by the name of Shelob) towering above him. He yelled in shock and scrambled backwards. Holding the light up forced away the spider, but one small glow was not enough to keep it at bay. Frodo raced through endless tunnels, but he only had two small hobbit legs, and the spider had eight. For a second, Frodo thought that he had lost it, but he could hear it scuttling after him. Frodo ran looking over his shoulder: straight into a web that was woven across the entire corridor. The beast was coming closer, and this time, Frodo could not escape.

"I do not think that we should abandon the outer defences so lightly. Osgiliath must be reclaimed." Denethor ordered.

"Osgiliath is overrun." Faramir said simply. The on looking guards, soldiers and Pippin and Ello watched anxiously as Denethor scowled.

"Is there still a general left brave enough to do his lords bidding," Denethor glared at Faramir.

The heartbreak showed in Faramir's eyes. "You wish now that I had died, and Boromir had lived."

Denethor paused for a moment, and when he did his voice sounded bitter. "Yes. I do wish that."

"Then since you're robbed of Boromir, I will do what I can in his stead. If I return, think better of me father." Faramir turned and walked out of the hall.

Ello's jaw dropped as Denethor called after his son. "That will depend on the manner of your return."

Faramir continued to walk, and three visions hit Ello at once. She glared at Denethor and then tapped the back of Pippin's hand. It was a signal that the leiveia had taught the hobbits- _back in a minute. _

Pippin nodded nervously, though he was unsure of being alone with the steward. Ello ran out of the hall after Faramir. He was giving orders to Gondor's cavalry. They turned around with heavy hearts and Ello pushed through the crowds to Faramir. She tugged hard on his sleeve.

"You can't do this." She said simply.

"Yes I can, and I must." Faramir didn't say anything else, and Ello started to panic. This was a disaster!

"What's this? Master, stuck in a web, soon to be eaten!"

Sméagol's foul singing filled Frodo's ears as Gollum's head poked above a rock. Rage filled Frodo, pain for Sam, and the darkest rage of all for the creature that betrayed him. Sting suddenly felt stronger in his hand and he mustered from nowhere he strength to hack away at the webs that bound him. Sméagol's eyes widened and he whimpered, scurrying backwards.

Breaking free Frodo sauntered towards Sméagol who disappeared into a tiny hole in the rocks. Shelob lunged, and in his fright Frodo dropped Sting and Galadriel's vial. He ran around the corner and found himself out in the open. He took a deep breath only to have it plundered from his chest as Gollum launched at him. For a moment they struggled, but Frodo was soon on top with his hands around Gollum's throat.

"Don't kill us!"" Sméagol snivelled. "It wasn't us! It was the precious! It was the precious!"

Frodo collapsed into a sitting position. "I have to destroy it Sméagol. For both our sakes."

Realisation dawned in Sméagol's eyes as he found out why Frodo had to get to Mordor. With an angry cry he launched at Frodo who reflected him off into the abyss that was the cliff edge.

"I'm sorry Sam. So, so, sorry." As the words left Frodo's parched lips he collapsed onto the floor, and was at last deadly still.

"Can you sing, little hobbit?" Denethor asked.

Pippin looked up in shock. "Well, yes. At least, good enough for my own people. But we have no songs for great halls or dark times."

"And why should your songs be unsuitable for my halls. Come, sing me a song."

Pippin started to sing slowly, thinking about the words.

_ "Home is behind, the world ahead_

_ And there are many paths to tread_

_ Through shadow, to the edge of night_

_ Until the stars are all alight_

_ Mist and shadow, cloud and shade_

_ All shall fade...All shall fade."_ He gulped deeply and squeezed his eyes shut.

Jam couldn't sleep. Something was worrying him, apart from the obvious. He had been so shocked at Gel's death; he didn't think that he would make it. But Ello, she had just fallen apart. He hoped that Aragorn and Legolas knew what they were doing. Even more than that, he just couldn't shake that feeling...

Jam kicked the blanket off his legs and flew out of bed. He slipped out of the tent and bumped straight into Aragorn.

"Jam- what are you doing?" Aragorn whispered.

Jam smiled sheepishly. "I can't sleep."

"Nightmares?" Aragorn asked, and Jam nodded, surprised.

"How did you-"

"Ello had them too. She used to wake up screaming." Aragorn sighed. "You may as well come with me know. I have a visitor. I know not who- just do as I tell you, understand?"

Jam nodded and walked alongside Aragorn up to Théoden's tent.

As they walked in, Théoden stood up. "I take my leave," he said and he nodded once at Jam and left at once.

The visitor stood up and his robes fell off, it was Elrond.

"My lord," Aragorn fell to his knees and bowed swiftly, and Jam was quick to follow his example.

Elrond raised his eyebrows slightly. "And who, pray, is this?"

"This, my Lord, is Jam. He came here from another world, and his brother was murdered by wraiths not four days ago. He, his seven year old brothers and his fifteen year old sister are all leiveia." Aragorn explained, and Elrond's eyes widened, greedy for knowledge.

"Hello...Jam..." Elrond turned his eyes back to Aragorn. "I have come on behalf of one that I love. Arwen is dying."

Jam's head snapped up to look at Aragorn, but Jam could scarcely look at the man's face. The shocked pain and grief was clear on his features, and he didn't try to hide it. Jam hung his head.

"You are outnumbered, Aragorn. You need more men." Elrond continued plainly.

"There are no more men." Aragorn shook his head to emphasise his point.

Choosing his words carefully, Elrond contradicted Aragorn. "There are those... who dwell in the mountain."

"Cowards," Aragorn whispered, "traitors."

Jam looked from man to elf, and he could feel the tension buzzing between them.

"They answer to no one." Aragorn stated.

"They would answer to the King of Gondor!" Elrond drew out a magnificent sword with a flourish and handed it to Aragorn.

Aragorn whispered quietly. "Anduril,"

Aragorn led Jam back to his tent. "I have to go somewhere. You have to stay here. Listen, your sister saved the life of a young boy named Haleth. If you wish to fight then give the twins to Haleth's mother, Ioreth. She came to cook for the King, and she counts herself as in Ello's debut."

"You can't just...well...Thank you, Aragorn. And be careful. I think I know where you are headed." Jam shuddered and slipped into the tent.

As Aragorn attached the saddlebags to his horse, Éowyn ran up to him.

"You cannot do this. You give the men hope; you cannot leave on the verge of battle!" she hissed angrily.

"I know why you are here." Aragorn muttered, "It is nothing but a coward and a fraud that you love. I cannot give you what you seek."

Realisation dawned in Éowyn's eyes, and she backed away before Aragorn could see the tears that threatened to spill.

Aragorn sighed, and tightened the straps on the saddlebags.

"And just where do you think you're going?" a familiar voice inquired

"Not this time Gimli." Aragorn paused.

"Have you learnt nothing of the stubbornness of the dwarves?" Legolas smiled, towing the horse he shared with Gimli beside him

"You might as well face it, laddy. We're coming with you." He chuckled, and a small smile played on Aragorn's lips.

"Where is he going?"

"Why does he leave us on the edge of battle?"

The haunted whispered of the riders rebounded from man to man.

"He leaves because he has no hope." Gamling moaned, but Théoden, Jam and the twins had also followed the sound.

Jam stomped his foot. "He leaves because he has to. Not because he has no hope. He's gone to get _more._"

Gamling stared into the gloomy night. "We are outnumbered. We cannot win. They are too many."

"We will ride out to meet them in battle all the same." Théoden ordered, and Isaac's thumb dropped out of his mouth.

"Did he have to go like Ello?" he whispered to Jam, who gathered Isaac in his arms.

"Yes. He went to try and help. Just like Ello."

"Then why did he leave his new shiny sword?"


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

Ello bounded back into the room and grabbed Pippin's hand.

"My lord, I need Pippin for a minute." Ello rushed to drag Pippin out as Denethor shrugged.

"What's wrong?" Pippin asked, alarmed at the look on Ello's face.

"I can't see him!" she hissed. At Pippin's blank look she sighed impatiently. "Frodo! I can't see Frodo! I don't know what it means! Pippin, the only other person that I can't see right now is Gel, and he's dead!"

"What does that mean?" Pippin asked with genuine confusion on his face.

"I don't know. But something is wrong."

A shadow loomed over them, but when Ello looked up she saw Gandalf standing above her, "Ellora, Peregrin, what is going on? I just saw Faramir..."

"Denethor just sent those men to their deaths." Ello whispered, her voice cracking, "And I can't see Frodo. I'm scared, Gandalf. I just have this feeling, this really bad feeling."

Gandalf put a firm but soothing hand on Ello's shoulder. "If we all acted on bad feelings Middle Earth would have fallen long before now. We have to have faith in Frodo and Sam. Sometimes grief clots the powers of us all, be it your visions, my magic, or even Pippin's love for trouble." Pippin looked up with a slightly hurt look upon his face, but the twinkling in Gandalf's eyes told Pippin plainly that Gandalf was joking.

Ello sighed, scarcely noticing the shuffling of feet as the people of Gondor came nearer.

"You have a song for everything." Said Pippin plainly looking at Ello. "Can you give yourself hope?"

Ello looked at the floor and her mouth began to form the words of a Taylor Swift song, with only a few edits.

"_Well it's a sad picture, the final blow hits ya_

_Somebody else gets what you wanted again and_

_You know it's all the same, another time and place repeating history_

_And you're getting sick of it._

_But I believe in whatever you do." She _took Pippin and Gandalf by the hand staring up at themboth with trusting eyes.

"_And I'll do anything to see it through_

_Because these things will change, can you feel it now?_

_These wall that they put up will fall down_

_This revolution the time will came for us to finally win_

_And well sing hallelujah We'll sing hallelujah" _A crowed began to form and as the song continued most of Gondor was listening to the strange song

"_So we've been outnumbered, rated and now cornered it's hard to fight when the fight ain't fair_

_We're getting stronger now find things they never found_

_They might be bigger but we're faster and never scared. _

_You can walk away say we don't need this_

_But there's something in your eyes says we can beat this_

_Because these things will change, can you feel it now?_

_These walls that they put up will fall down_

_This revolution the time will came for us to finally win_

_And well sing hallelujah We'll sing hallelujah, oh. _

_Well tonight we'll stand it, all our needs_

_Fight for what we've worked for all these year _

_and the battle was long it's the fight of our lives_

_but we'll stand up champions tonight._

_Make this the night things change, look and see it now,_

_these walls that they put up to hold us back must fall down. _

_This revolution; throw your hands up and don't ever give in!_

_Just sing hallelujah! Hallelujah!" _

"How can you be so sure?" a Gondorian woman cried. "I have lost both my husband and my son in the past three months. I have a baby and two small children to feed and protect. I do not have time for hope."

"I lost my father and my brother in the last three weeks. My brother only yesterday. I don't know where my friends are. But, if we don't have hope we're hardly going to get anywhere. I actually understand the horror of battle, I fought in the battle at Helm's Deep. believe me, Rohan _will _come. They _will. _But we can't just sit here and wait for them to save us." Ello's voice rose steadily.

"But you are obviously not from Gondor. Neither is the Halfling, or even Mithrandir. You tell us what to do in our own city." A young man spat.

Pippin and Gandalf angered but Ello remained calm.

"No. I am not from...around here. I have travelled more than most on Middle Earth to get here. Because Men must not fall. It is not the right time. Why should men fall, if they can fight? For their daughters, wives, sons, family, friends. The list is endless, the things you should fight for.

I come to try and help. If you don't want my help, fine, but are you really in a good position to turn down help, however small?"

The man muttered an apology and pushed back through the crowd which slowly melted away as the three foreigners made way to their quarters.

"Oh, oh God." Ello moaned. Pippin swivelled around in time to see her falling to the floor. Her body began to spasm and her eyes rolled up in her head. Her back arched unnaturally, a sign of upmost agony.

"Gandalf!" Pippin cried, and Gandalf sharply turned himself. Looking at Ello he glanced around and scooped her still twitching body into his arms.

"Gandalf, what's happening to her?" Pippin whispered.

"Not here, Peregrin Took!" Gandalf hissed, but as Pippin recoiled in a hurt way he changed his tone of voice. "I am not sure. I believe it is something that has not been seen on Middle Earth an age. Now, quickly. Her life is in your hands now, Pippin."

Pippin glanced at his hands anxiously.

"Go, Peregrin, get me a bowl of water and a towel."

Pippin returned moments later with what Gandalf requested.

"Good, good. As I thought." Gandalf looked Pippin firmly in the eye. "This is bad, or it could be good, I do not know. All I know is that Ello has found someone who her soul is firmly linked with. It may be a soulmate, or something slightly less serious. Soulmates were an old age concept, often in a romantic relationship or strong friendship, but it is so strong that they can sense each other, do things others cannot. It may just be friendly, though. The other soul, whosever it is, has given up. They are hopeless, and Ello unconsciously feels she must comfort them." Pippin did not understand this talk if souls but he listened and nodded anyway. If Gandalf thought he was keeping up that was good. Pippin just wanted to see Ello back safely awake, and looking okay.

But Ello was far from okay.

She was outside suddenly. The cool wind caressed her face as she drew a deep breath. He needed her. He needed her, _now._ He was going to die. Ello felt herself fly forwards and her head rushed. She felt strangely disjointed, and she glanced over her shoulder. A strange glimmering white shape was lying behind her. Shimmering white light misted Ello's view of everything, but the white shape she could see. Squinting into the mist Ello almost retched in horror. It was a body, small, and feminine with long hair and chillingly familiar face. The body was her own. Ello surged forwards, but a strange magnetic pull tugged her in the opposite direction. Her importance of her own life evaporated as she swept in the other direction. Another shape was lying in the distance, but it was shrouded in a whirling grey shadow. A frown deepened in Ello's mind and she willed herself forward. It took mere seconds to cover what was the many leagues between her and the figure. Seeing the figure on the floor caused Ello to overflow with emotion. Frodo's motionless body flickered between what Ello could see and reality. She dropped down next to his head, and her soul began to take a shape.

Frodo's head rolled up and his vision was filled with Ello's glowing form. She softly stroked his hair and face, as the tears cascaded down her own. For an lingering moment they were still. Ello rose, and took Frodo's hand in her own. _Come on, Frodo, _her mind murmured. _You'll be okay. You _have _to do this. You've come so far; don't give up now. _Frodo's jaw stiffened, and the tears welling in his eyes ceased to be. Tightening his grip on Ello's hand, Frodo took a deep breath. Ello smiled through her tears and pulled him up.

Frodo was hauled into the present. Ello's form left his eyes, her innocent eyes fading from him for the last time.

Ioreth needed no persuasion in taking the twins into her small tent. It was just as well, so Jam thought, he was in enough of a hurry. Théoden would not miss him. He would be too busy organising the men, he had apologised to Jam about it beforehand. The soft hobbit-like pitter-patter of Jam's dainty feet seems as loud as drums in his ears. He found himself facing the crevice that Aragorn had disappeared into, but all his instincts screamed at him to go back. He turned, and saw Merry staring at him with shock and sorrow on his face.

Grimacing apologetically he held up Aragorn's sword and forced his feet to step inside the tunnel like mountain path. Immediately his instinct overwhelmed him. Gandalf had explained to him that instinct was his gift many times, and that he should harness it many more. Jam wheeled in terror and bolted forwards. Scents of his quarry filled his nose and he veered off to the left, following the scent. He ran even faster than his sister, at the speed of an arrow from Legolas' bow. Fear consumed his mind to the point of blindness. Suddenly he hit a small tree and fell over backwards with a yell. There was a startlingly loud whinny, and he realised that the 'tree' was in fact the leg of Aragorn's horse.

Legolas bow was immediately in his hands, but he quickly lowered his bow.

"Jam!"

"I thought I told...oh..." Aragorn silenced as Jam held out his sword to him, wheezing as he did so. "Thank you, Jam. It was good of you to come after me. How I forgot...?" Aragorn reached down and swung Jam onto the back of his horse. "It is too late to go back now."

Ello shuddered and drew a deep breath, and Pippin exhaled with relief. Gandalf rose sharply from his chair and moved over to Ello. She was puling herself into a sitting position with the same dead expression that she had held when Gandalf had first seen her in Denethor's hall. Tears were threatening in her eyes, but for the moment they did not spill.

"What did you see, Ello, what did you see?" Gandalf ordered, and as he did so, a single tear trailed down Ello's cheek.

"Everything looked shrouded in a milky white mist, but I, I could see my...body" Ello retched and paled but continued "And, I saw... I saw Frodo... He...he was alone and lying motionless..."

Pippin's eyes rounded and he surged towards her. "Alone! Where was Sam?"

"I don't know. I don't know. I tried to comfort him...I think he saw me, and then I helped him up and he was gone." Ello stopped trying to hold back tears and let them fall freely down her cheeks. She hung her head and Pippin and Gandalf exchanged hopeless glances.

"I don't know what I saw. I don't understand what happened. I just know it did. Gandalf, it was no dream-" Ello's eyes widened to bigger than Pippin's and she grasped Gandalf's hand in a desperate bid to make them understand.

"I believe you Ello. I just am struggling to hope." Gandalf assured her. Then he added in an undertone. "I sent him to his death."

Pippin and Ello looked up simultaneously in slow horror. Gandalf turned and smiled weakly. "There was never much hope. Only a fool's hope."


End file.
